From Code to Policy Statement: Creating Canadian Policy for Ethical Research Involving Humans

Introduction While the history of U.S. and international research ethics is well documented, little has been written on the formation of Canadian policy and practice. (2) Most commentary on Canadian policy has centred on content, particularly on gaps and shortcomings. (3) This is an unfortunate situation with both practical and intellectual implications. If Canadians are to understand and assess our policies and practices in this area, it is vital to have a sound historical understanding of our situation. Otherwise policy-making is likely to be erratic and ineffective. Intellectually the history of research ethics has become a subject in its own right. Beyond Canada the lack of a good Canadian history adds to the misperception that all national policies are clones of Belmont. It is vital, then, to have a sound intellectual history of key periods in Canadian research ethics policy.