OTTAWA, ONTARIO - The Council of Canadians has learned that Saskatchewan farmer, Percy Schmeiser, filed an application for leave before the Supreme Court of Canada yesterday. The Council of Canadians is pointing the finger at the Prime Minister's office for dragging its heels on the patenting of lifeforms dossier and leaving it to the courts to sort out what has now become a major problem for farmers.

"They have allowed the marketing of genetically engineered (GE) products in Canada without doing a thorough assessment of the potential consequences such as the biotech industry's claim of intellectual property rights over living organisms," says Nadège Adam, campaigner for the Council of Canadians.

Schmeiser recently lost his appeal before the Federal Court of Canada. He was found liable for Monsanto's rogue GE canola found growing in his field. By modifying the genetic make-up of a plant, Monsanto is now claiming to have invented canola and, using the threat of prosecution, is aggressively working to protect its intellectual property rights.

"Our laws have not kept up with the science," adds Adam. "Companies like Monsanto are taking advantage of the lack of regulatory clarity on the patenting of lifeforms and are taking farmers to court, suing them for all they've got."

The Council of Canadians is most concerned with the implications of Monsanto's right to patent seeds. Monsanto who so far has been unable to contain their patented technology and has contaminated a significant number of farm lands across the country, has been given free reign to continue their pollution with impunity.

"Canada must take a stand against the patenting of lifeforms," says Adam. "This government must establish policies that prevent the control over seeds and other living organisms to be transferred from the public to the private domain."

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