Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for that question and for all of the questions he has been asking throughout the debate. He has played a very important role in ensuring that we have a thorough vetting of the discussion on the free trade agreement of the Americas.
I believe that in fact one of the critical issues at stake under FTAA is Canada's public health care system. We all know we have big challenges ahead. One of those challenges is escalating drug prices. In fact, we know that drug prices are now the fastest rising element in our health care system. Costs in terms of drugs have now surpassed costs associated with physicians and services provided by doctors. That tells us a lot about the dire situation we are facing. It demands action on the part of the government.
We are hearing from the government of the day that in fact its hands are tied because of trade agreements. That has been the excuse for not following through on a promise to rescind Bill C-91, which was the patent protection legislation brought in by the Mulroney Conservatives. We are now hearing, through new legislation introduced in the Senate, that the government has to comply with more WTO rulings and in fact extend patent protection even more for drug companies.
That will mean drug prices will rise considerably. It will mean that the burden is placed on governments and on individuals to pay for drugs that are desperately needed for medical conditions. That is an untenable situation.
While there are things we can do domestically and actions the government can still take, in the end if we do not find a way on the trade front to loosen the ties that are restricting us from acting, we are going to be in very serious difficulty. That applies not only here in Canada but in countries like South Africa and Brazil, where there are huge problems and a desperate need for generic drugs and access to cheap alternatives. It is a serious situation globally. I think we have to play our role through every avenue we can, which means through FTAA, GATS, and any other trade negotiations underway.