Chris Cobb / The Ottawa Citizen / January 2, 2001
Canadians are overwhelmingly against cloning animals, and are also deeply suspicious of genetically modified food and the use of pesticides made from genetically modified bacteria.
According to a newly released study, Canadians appear to have only sketchy knowledge of biotechnology, which involves the manipulation of plant, animal and human life forms.
The study was conducted for Health Canada to test public knowledge and opinion on various aspects of biotechnology, which is set to expand across the planet with a speed some say will rival the growth of information technology.
The study will be used to develop federal policy on such things as bioengineered human prescription drugs, including insulin and antibiotics; on genetically modified food, including corn and tomatoes; on animal growth hormones to increase meat and milk production and on animal cloning.
Although Canadians view some aspects of biotechnology with suspicion, the study confirms other federal reports that most people are willing to take minor risks if biotechnology can be proved beneficial to humanity -- especially the treatment of disease.
But the majority also send this clear message to government: It's your responsibility to protect us and before you make any decisions, show us the scientific proof.
"When it comes to making decisions about the management and control of biotechnology products," says the study, "a majority of Canadians see scientific evidence as more crucial than people's concerns and perceptions."
The study, by the research firm Environics, was based on interviews with 1,508 Canadians conducted by telephone last summer. Surveys of that size are considered accurate, plus or minus 2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
Most Canadians (63 per cent) feel that government should create the regulations governing biotechnology and have a structure in place to enforce the regulations and to safeguard the public. A similar number want development and management of biotechnology products to be co-ordinated among several federal departments, and a whopping 90 per cent want government to consult Canadians.
Respondents were also asked this question: "Biotechnology is the application of science in the use of living organisms or their products to develop new products and processes. Would you say you are very familiar, somewhat familiar, not very familiar, or not at all familiar with biotechnology?"
Better-educated Canadians say they are most familiar with biotechnology, but if the federal government wants a better-informed public, it clearly has a lot of work to do. Only five per cent of those interviewed said they were "very familiar" with the issue, while 62 per cent said they were either "not very familiar" or "not at all familiar."
The level of familiarity with the subject is slightly lower than it was two years ago, but the study says this may have more to do with competing public messages about the risks and benefits of biotechnology.
Canadians who say they have some knowledge of the subject are, however, likely to be critical of the job the federal government is currently doing in regulating and developing biotechnology.
Although there is widespread ignorance about biotechnology, Canadians from all walks of life are adamant in their opposition to animal cloning. Seven out of 10 respondents said there is little or no benefit in cloning animals for human consumption, and eight per cent disagreed.
Canadians are skeptical about pesticides manufactured from genetically modified bacteria, with 18 per cent saying they would provide a great deal of benefit. They have mixed views on the benefits of genetically modified crops. Fifty per cent said they would have a significant or moderate benefit, while the other 50 per cent said the opposite.
Older Canadians (66 or older) hold the most passionate views about biotechnology and appear motivated by self-interest. The majority in this group are in favour of bioengineered prescription drugs and developing new strains of laboratory animals to study human diseases, but they are overwhelmingly opposed to cloning animals and genetically modifying crops.
Albertans are the most receptive to all aspects of biotechnology, and are especially in favour of genetically modified food crops. Quebecers are least supportive of biotechnology in general. Ontarians are generally supportive of all aspects of biotechnology, other than animal cloning, and people in the Atlantic provinces feel about the same.
In an earlier study conducted for Industry Canada, 75 per cent were shocked to learn that three-quarters of ingredients in store-bought food were genetically modified. Many were angry that this had been done without their knowledge or consent, and 93 per cent of respondents demanded genetically modified products be labelled.
