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Public Advisory Group

The Public Advisory Group (PAG) is responsible for developing recommendations on xenotransplantation based on input from Canadians.
 

Members of the Public Advisory Group

Co-chair

Dr. Heather Ross is the director of the Cardiac Transplant Program and assistant professor and staff cardiologist at the University Health Network, Toronto General Hospital Site. She is also pursuing her Masters in Bioethics at the University of Toronto. Dr. Ross is the co-chair of the Canadian Cardiovascular Society’s 2001 Consensus Conference on Transplantation.

Co-chair

Robert Van Tongerloo is executive director of the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies which is a national organization working to improve conditions for all animals across Canada. Headquartered in Ottawa, the Federation represents over 100 member societies across the country.

Members

Laurie Potovsky-Beachell is a member of the Board of Directors of the Prairie Women's Health Centre of Excellence, founding member of the Women and Health Reform Working Group, and a past chair of the Health and Safety Committee, Consumers Association of Canada (Manitoba). Ms. Potovsky-Beachell was director-at-large of the Manitoba Women's Institute and co-wrote the organization's presentation to the 1990's Royal Commission on New Reproductive Technologies. She lives in Rosser, Manitoba.

Reverend Canon Eric Beresford is a consultant for ethics and interfaith relations for the Anglican Church of Canada and a member of the Biotechnology Working Group of the Canadian Council of Churches. Canon Beresford has worked as a bioethicist at the Institut de Recherche, Clinique de Montréal, and on the ethics committee of several hospitals. He resides in Toronto.

Rabbi Dr. Reuven Bulka is host of the TV series “In Good Faith,” and the weekly radio call-in program “Sunday Night with Rabbi Bulka”. He has contributed scholarly and popular articles to various journals and has written or edited 31 books. Rabbi Bulka lives in Ottawa and is the chairman of the Organ Donation Committee of the Kidney Foundation for Eastern Ontario.

Dr. Keith Campbell is a past president of the Manitoba Veterinary Medical Association, the Manitoba representative to the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association, and a member of the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association Animal Welfare Committee. Dr Campbell practices small animal medicine and surgery in Winnipeg.

Dr. Dmytro Cipywnyk represents the Canadian Ethnocultural Council, a coalition of national ethnocultural umbrella organizations. Dr. Cipywnyk was associate clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Saskatchewan and medical director of Saskatchewan’s Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission. He is a Member of the Order of Canada.

Dr. Edna Einsiedel is professor of the Graduate Program in Communications Studies at the University of Calgary. The focus of her research is involving the public in technology assessments and technology decision-making. In 1999, Dr. Einsiedel and her graduate students conducted the first consensus conference in Canada on the issue of food biotechnology.

Dr. Ian Gemmill is the Medical Officer of Health for the Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington Health Unit in Ontario. He is a member of the National Advisory Committee on Immunization, the Provincial Advisory Committee on Communicable Diseases, and the Board of Directors of CPHA. Dr. Gemmill is an associate professor in the departments of Family Medicine and Community Health and Epidemiology, Queen’s University.

Mr. Nicholas Hurley is the chair of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Association of Community Care, which promotes the development of a range of community health care services in Canada. Mr. Hurley is a member of Health Canada’s Expert Advisory Committee on Blood Regulation. He resides in Newfoundland.

Dr. Thérèse Leroux is professor of law at the Centre de recherche en droit public of the University of Montreal Faculty of Law and has a Ph.D in medical biochemistry. She is a member of the National Council on Ethics in Human Research, president of Québec-Transplant’s ethics committee and past-president of the Canadian Bioethics Society.

Dr. John Shortreed is the executive director of the Network for Environmental Risk Assessment and Management and professor emeritus, Civil Engineering, University of Waterloo. Dr. Shortreed was the Canadian representative to ISO/IEC Working Group on Risk Management Definitions and the director of the Institute for Risk Research.
 

Terms of Reference of the Public Advisory Group

Mandate

The Public Advisory Group is responsible for developing recommendations on xenotransplantation based on input from Canadians.

Functions

  • Work in partnership with CPHAin defining and developing the processes for public awareness, education and dialogue.
  • Recommend to CPHA a process for consultation record taking and analysis of public input.
  • Confirm a range of issues that should be considered from a public perspective including issues raised by the public.
  • Provide policy advice and recommendations to the Minister of Health, and governments generally, on issues pertaining to xenotransplantation.

Background

The Therapeutic Products Programme, Health Products and Food Branch, of Health Canada, is responsible for the safety and efficacy of therapeutic products, including xenotransplants (the living cells, tissues and organs transplanted from animals into humans). The very breadth of the issues raised by xenotransplantation requires informed public dialogue with Canadians and consideration of their views and concerns in the development of appropriate policy by Health Canada. CPHA is being funded by Health Canada to implement this broad consultation process.

Composition

Mandatory Membership Criteria

  • Canadian (includes landed immigrants)
  • Demonstrated ability to be open to various perspectives on xenotransplantation
  • Without financial or legal conflict of interest
  • Able to commit to the term of office and activities

General Membership Criteria

  • Overall balance of perspectives (see below*)
  • Merit based
  • Desire for regional, linguistic and gender balance
  • Include content and process expertise
  • Willing to serve in a voluntary capacity
  • Limited to 8 to 12 members

Perspectives*

  • Animal welfare
  • Cultural diversity
  • Faith or spiritual
  • Health care professional
  • citizen representative
  • Public health and safety
  • Recipient

Observer Status

The following are designated observers of the Public Advisory Group:

  • A member of the Therapeutic Products Programme Expert Advisory Committee on Xenograft Regulation (which provides expert advice on scientific and medical issues related to xenotransplantation
  • A representative of Health Canada
  • A representative of CPHA

Type of Committee

The Public Advisory Group is an ad hoc committee that will sunset following the synthesis of public input, evaluation of the process, and submission of the report to Health Canada.

Term of Office

The term of office will be from September 2000 to March 2002, subject to possible reappointment.

Activities

It is anticipated that the Public Advisory Group will meet face-to-face on four occasions during the term of office, will review documents and take part in telephone, fax or email communications.
 

Meetings of the Public Advisory Group

Health Canada and Xenotransplantation

Disclaimer: Production and maintenance of this website has been made possible by a financial contribution from Health Canada. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the official policy or views of Health Canada.

Health Canada’s Therapeutic Products Programme (TPP) is the national authority which regulates drugs, medical devices and other therapeutic products used in Canada. The Programme is supported through the contributions of more than 700 scientists, doctors, technicians, administrators, inspectors, and managers, all dedicated to helping Canadians maintain and improve their health. Xenotransplants are regulated by Health Canada under the requirements of the Food and Drugs Act.

In November 1997, the TPP sponsored a National Forum on Xenotransplantation in Ottawa. This Forum represented the first national consultation on the scientific, ethical and regulatory issues surrounding xenotransplantation. Participants included professional associations, transplant recipients, scientists, health professionals and specialists in the areas of transplantation, disease transmission, ethics, law, animal rights and veterinary medicine. The Forum summary report included several important recommendations, such as the need to inform the public about xenotransplantation, to involve the public in the policy development process and to develop safety standards that can be used to regulate xenografts if and when they are approved for use in Canada.

The TPP has established an Expert Working Group, comprised of experts in the areas of transplantation, infectious disease, veterinarian medicine and ethics, to develop a safety standard for xenotransplantation. In July 1999, the TPP released, for public comment, the draft Proposed Standard for Xenotransplantation, which identifies important issues that should be addressed for the safety and effectiveness of xenotransplantation.

In March 1999, the TPP conducted a public opinion survey as an early scan of Canadian’s level of knowledge of xenotransplantation and their interest in participating in the decision-making process. The survey indicated a large percentage of respondents wanted to be involved in some way (eg. kept informed, invited to comment, involved in meetings). The TPP developed a Public Involvement Plan for Xenotransplantation and sponsored a Planning Workshop, in April 2000, to obtain public input to the plan. The Planning Workshop: Public Involvement for Xenotransplantation, brought together a broad range of people interested in and affected by xenotransplantation, to discuss elements of the Public Involvement Plan, including the formation of a Public Advisory Group and processes to broaden awareness, information/education and dialogue of xenotransplantation among Canadians.

As a step toward implementing the Public Involvement Plan, Health Canada is funding CPHA to form a Public Advisory Group on Xenotransplantation and to undertake processes to increase awareness, information/education and dialogue on xenotransplantation among Canadians.