Canada Supreme Court Backs Genetic Privacy Law Quebec Challenged

Canada’s Supreme Court upheld a law that bars businesses from forcing residents to take genetic tests or share results of such procedures.

The 5-4 decision rejected the Quebec government’s argument that the 2017 Genetic Non-Discrimination Act, which made it a crime to collect, use, or share test results, encroached upon the province’s jurisdiction.

The law properly addresses “a threat of harm to several overlapping public interests traditionally protected by the criminal law — autonomy, privacy, equality and public health,” according to the July 10 decision.

The finding affirms the power of Canada’s federal government to oversee citizens’ genetic privacy. The ...