Bill C-398 (Historical)

An Act to amend the Patent Act (drugs for international humanitarian purposes)

This enactment amends the Patent Act to make it easier to manufacture and export pharmaceutical products to address public health problems afflicting many developing and least-developed countries, especially those resulting from HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and other epidemics.

Access to Medicines

[Hélène Laverdière, NDP, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, tonight we will have the second hour of debate on Bill C-398 before it is referred to a committee.

This bill would help save lives by fighting such illnesses as HIV-AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in developing countries. It is actively supported by tens of thousands of Canadians.

However, there is misinformation about this bill circulating on the other side of the House.

Bill C-398 would not weaken existing safeguards ensuring medicines are not diverted. The bill would not remove measures to ensure the quality of medicines sent abroad. The bill would not violate Canada's obligation under the WTO.

This bill would save lives. It should not be voted upon on the basis of hearsay and misinformation. If any of my colleagues have questions about the bill, my door is always open to them.

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to table a petition on behalf of hundreds of Canadians, many of them from Ottawa but also from the western provinces, B.C. and Manitoba in particular. The petition is by the Grandmothers Advocacy Network encouraging members of this House and the government in particular to support Bill C-398, a bill to amend Canada's access to medicine regime to allow people in Africa, principally but not only there, who suffer from treatable diseases such as HIV-AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis to receive medicines that are not priced exorbitantly. The petition also encourages those members who voted in the past for Bill C-393, which passed the House but did not get through the Senate, to consider supporting Bill C-398.

[David McGuinty, Liberal, Ottawa South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to table petitions on behalf of my constituent, Janet Wilkinson, and the Grandmothers Advocacy Network.

The petitions have been signed by hundreds of local residents who are urging the government to pass Bill C-398 without significant amendment to facilitate the immediate and sustainable flow of life-saving generic medicines to developing countries.

I am pleased to table these petitions this afternoon and look forward to the government's response.

[Mathieu Ravignat, NDP, Pontiac, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition calls upon the House to pass Bill C-398, without significant amendment, to facilitate the immediate and sustainable flow of lifesaving generic medicines to developing countries.

[Ève Péclet, NDP, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to present two petitions. The first petition is in support of Bill C-398 to reform Canada's access to medicines regime to facilitate the immediate and sustainable flow of generic medicines to developing countries. This could save millions of lives.

Patent Act

[Chris Charlton, NDP, Hamilton Mountain, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to table four separate petitions in the House today with hundreds of signatures all addressing the same pressing issue, the need for the House to adopt Bill C-398 on an urgent basis so as to facilitate the immediate and sustainable flow of lifesaving generic medicines to developing countries.

As members will recall, an earlier iteration of the bill was brought forward by my former colleague Judy Wasylycia-Leis, and although it passed in the democratically elected House of Commons, it died in the unelected Senate. Frankly, it was a disgrace.

As the petitioners remind us, in sub-Saharan Africa grandmothers are burying their adult children and caring for many of the 15 million children who have been left orphaned by treatable diseases such as HIV-AIDS, TB and malaria.

We have the ability to help. There is no cost to taxpayers. Let us get the job done.

Access to Medicines

[Ryan Leef, Conservative, Yukon, YT]

Mr. Speaker, I table a petition today from constituents in my riding, calling on the House to pass Bill C-398 without significant amendment and to facilitate the immediate and substantial flow of life-saving generic medicines to developing countries.

[Phil McColeman, Conservative, Brant, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased today to present this petition from constituents in my riding who are asking that the House of Commons pass C-398, without significant amendment, to facilitate the immediate flow of generic medicines to developed countries.

[Scott Reid, Conservative, Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have received several petitions, mostly from constituents in my riding but also from some surrounding ridings, relating to Bill C-398, the private member's bill that continues the work of Bill C-393, which was dealt with in the last Parliament, on the subject of Canada's access to a medicines regime designed to provide medicines relating, in particular, to malaria, tuberculosis and HIV-AIDS for use in developing countries.

The Grandmothers' Advocacy Network is focusing on the need for these medicines in Sub-Saharan Africa and ask members of Parliament to support Bill C-398.

[Sean Casey, Liberal, Charlottetown, PE]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to present a petition on behalf of constituents in my riding who support the work of the Grandmothers Advocacy Network. The petition indicates that in sub-Saharan Africa, AIDS still remains a killer of young women and children and that access to AIDS medication continues to be a huge problem. In this country, Canada's access to medicines regime was intended to provide affordable, lifesaving generic medicines, but it is unnecessarily complex. It has only been used once since 2004 and is not likely to be used again in its current form. Therefore, the petitioners call on Parliament to pass Bill C-398 to facilitate the immediate and sustainable flow of lifesaving generic medicines to developing countries.

[Craig Scott, NDP, Toronto—Danforth, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition from the Grandmothers' Advocacy Network. They have secured 177 signatures from Toronto calling for the adoption of Bill C-398, which is currently before the House, with respect to facilitating better access to needed drugs in developing countries.

The grandmothers point out that their sister grandmothers are burying their adult children and caring for many of the 15 million children who have been left orphaned by AIDS around the world, especially in sub-Saharan Africa.

Therefore, the petitioners call upon the House to pass Bill C-398 without significant amendment to facilitate the immediate and sustainable flow of life-saving generic medicines to developing countries.

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Beauséjour, NB]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is from a group of grandmothers, advocacy groups and others from the Tantramar area of my riding from Sackville, New Brunswick. They call upon the government and the House to adopt Bill C-398 to ensure that generic medicines are available to those most in need, particularly in African countries.

I think it is important that the House consider this petition favourably.

[Alex Atamanenko, NDP, British Columbia Southern Interior, BC]

Mr. Speaker, my second petition is also from folks in my riding, in Procter, Nelson and other areas, supporting Bill C-398.

The petitioners say that because of the devastation AIDS has caused in Africa, they call upon the House of Commons, without significant amendment, to facilitate the immediate and sustainable flow of life-saving generic medicines to developing countries.

International Co-operation

[Hélène Laverdière, NDP, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in 2011, the House voted for a bill aimed at fixing Canada's Access to Medicines Regime, but the bill died in the Senate.

Now with Bill C-398, we have a new opportunity to help developing countries access the medicines they need. MPs from all parties will be at a rally on the Hill Thursday in support of access to medicine.

Will the Minister of International Cooperation join MPs, the grandmothers and concerned Canadians on Thursday?

Health

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Beauséjour, NB]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is from a group of grandmothers and others from the Tantramar area of my constituency, around Sackville, who are very concerned about access to life-saving generic medicines in Africa and other developing countries.

The petitioners are calling upon Parliament to support Bill C-398 which, in my view, would do a great deal to encourage Canadians to support these people in very difficult circumstances.