Lucy Sharratt, Coordinator, Canadian Biotechnology Action Network www.cban.ca 
coordinator@cban.ca
A groundbreaking study on the safety of a genetically modified (GM or genetically engineered) food – the first study of a GM corn over the lifespan of laboratory rats - has been published and the resulting international controversy has only just started. The credibility of the study is being questioned and the results disputed. While debate and follow-up are a necessary part of the scientific process, coordinated dismissals from “experts” and character assassinations are a predictable part of the biotech industry backlash.
perspectives and recommendations on the right to food in Canada and Quebec with the Special Rapporteur. One after another, participants spoke of their work in building community initiatives, working against poverty and hunger, showing how our current system is leaving too many people hungry and too many farmers and fishers vulnerable to market forces they do not control. Many acknowledged the usefulness of the human rights framework to achieving food security and sovereignty and underscored the importance of cross-cutting partnerships.