‘No consequences’ for violating human rights in privately funded research in Canada, says ethics expert – CBC

Roughly 85 per cent of clinical trials in Canada are privately funded

Dec 02, 2024

When Janice Parente read a CBC story this past spring about a dubious brainwave study targeting primarily Indigenous kids in Saskatchewan, it immediately piqued her interest.

That’s because the Quebec-based scientist and research ethics expert was putting the finishing touches on a book critiquing Canada’s system of research oversight.

The Prince Albert School Study (PASS), which ran from 2014 to 2016, was conducted to test the benefits of brainwave training on 12- to 15-year-old children and their parents or guardians.

James Hardt, the American scientist leading the study, claims brainwave training can make participants smarter, happier and enable them to overcome trauma. He said it can also allow them to levitate, walk on water and visit angels.

‘No consequences’ for violating human rights in privately funded research in Canada, says ethics expert – CBC

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