Good morning. I want to start be telling you that I am not a permanent member of this committee. I am standing in today for my colleague Ms. Gagnon. I will likely be sharing my time with Mr. Malo. I also stood in for a colleague at last Tuesday's meeting.
No one is disputing that Health Canada's current warning or advisory system has shortcomings. Let me give you an example. I was floored to learn last August that a warning had been issued about a prescription drug that I use. In November, I went to have the prescription renewed, but I was not informed of this drug advisory. Obviously, if the advisory warned people not to go out in the sun while on the medication, then the adverse effects I might be facing would not be as serious as, say, cardiovascular problems.
It is important for the consumer to be alerted. Protecting people's privacy should be the overriding consideration. Right now, users of certain prescription drugs are unaware that warnings or advisories have been issued by Health Canada.
Here is another simple example. If your automobile is singled out by a manufacturer's recall, you will be notified by mail to bring your vehicle to the dealer or to a mechanic to have the necessary repairs done. However, in this case, if people are not even informed that taking a certain drug may pose a health risk, it is clear that there is something wrong with the warning and advisory system, that it fails to protect consumers.