Health Committee on May 29th, 2008

[Tony Clement, Conservative, Parry Sound—Muskoka, ON]

Thank you for your comments and your question. I agree with you that every life is precious and every life is worth saving. That's precisely the point of my argument: the best way to save lives, the best way to ensure that we have compassion in our society, is to treat those who need our help and to prevent others from getting on drugs in the first place. And while that one life that was projected—

[Hedy Fry, Liberal, Vancouver Centre, BC]

Minister, could you please answer my question?

[Tony Clement, Conservative, Parry Sound—Muskoka, ON]

—to be saved by Insite is precious, if we can save 10 lives or 50 lives or 100 lives, that should be our aim and objective. I believe that through our plans, as a government—

[Hedy Fry, Liberal, Vancouver Centre, BC]

Thank you, Minister.

[Tony Clement, Conservative, Parry Sound—Muskoka, ON]

—the national anti-drug strategy—

[Hedy Fry, Liberal, Vancouver Centre, BC]

Madam Chair, may I ask the minister a question?

[Tony Clement, Conservative, Parry Sound—Muskoka, ON]

—will save many more lives than Dr. Fry proposes to do.

[Hedy Fry, Liberal, Vancouver Centre, BC]

Madam Chair, the minister has given me his answer. I've heard it very clearly. I would like to continue.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joy Smith]

Committee, excuse me, I have one thing to say, and I'm going to be clear on this.

At the beginning of this committee meeting today, I read an account of a terrible—

[Hedy Fry, Liberal, Vancouver Centre, BC]

I hope you're not taking up my 15 minutes.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joy Smith]

—incident that happened where one of our witnesses could not come because he was intimidated.

I'm fair with the time with everybody. I'm not taking your time away.

[Hedy Fry, Liberal, Vancouver Centre, BC]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joy Smith]

All I'm asking is that everyone be respectful and then you will get a chance to ask.

Dr. Fry.

[Hedy Fry, Liberal, Vancouver Centre, BC]

I would like to ask the minister to focus on the question I asked and respond to it. I have heard the minister's principles in his speech. I don't really need to listen to that any more.

The minister said he believes that certain things are more important and the number of lives is more important. As physicians, we do not trade in which life is more important and in numbers like that. That is an offence to me as a physician to hear someone say that. I wanted to put that on the record.

Secondly, the minister spoke about what his own research people told him. I wonder if his research people were peer-reviewed. Insite was peer-reviewed by 21 peer reviews, international peer reviews following international principles of research. Did the minister have his report from his advisory council similarly peer-reviewed?

I would like a quick answer, yes or no.

[Tony Clement, Conservative, Parry Sound—Muskoka, ON]

Well, it was an independent—

[Hedy Fry, Liberal, Vancouver Centre, BC]

Yes or no?

[Tony Clement, Conservative, Parry Sound—Muskoka, ON]

—evidence-based scientific approach to the research. I would defend that. They were scientists. I listen to scientists.

[Hedy Fry, Liberal, Vancouver Centre, BC]

Was it peer-reviewed, Minister?

[Tony Clement, Conservative, Parry Sound—Muskoka, ON]

Was it peer-reviewed?

[Hedy Fry, Liberal, Vancouver Centre, BC]

Yes or no.

[Tony Clement, Conservative, Parry Sound—Muskoka, ON]

It wasn't for publication in some journal.

[Hedy Fry, Liberal, Vancouver Centre, BC]

Was it peer-reviewed, yes or no?

[Tony Clement, Conservative, Parry Sound—Muskoka, ON]

It probably was not peer-reviewed for publication, but all of those people—

[Hedy Fry, Liberal, Vancouver Centre, BC]

Thank you, Minister.

[Tony Clement, Conservative, Parry Sound—Muskoka, ON]

—are expert scientists...but I know you don't want to hear the answer.