Thank you for being with us today.
We are beginning our information sessions on the post-market surveillance of pharmaceutical products. We made this subject a priority because we read the newspapers and because quite a few citizens are expressing their concerns. There are products on the market that affect the lives and health of the population. Many people are wondering wether they should go on consuming certain pharmaceutical products or using certain cosmetics.
On page 2 of your presentation, Ms. Ballantyne, you say: “Through increased investments, the efficiency and responsiveness of the drug review system has been substantially improved [...]” And then you say that in 2004 “[...] targeted measures have been implemented to strengthen the safety of pharmaceuticals and other health products through funds provided by the 2005 Budget.”
If I remember correctly, the Auditor General had noted that the funding of the regulatory program supervised by Health Canada was on the increase, but that the basic funding, for medication, had decreased by 32% over three years, which means $7.1 million in 2003-2004 and $4.8 million in 2005-2006.
How come you did not mention this gap? You seem to be saying that the budget you have available will enable you to achieve the objectives of your reform. How do you explain that you did not mention anything about a lack of funding and resources? It seems that Health Canada, with the various branches in charge of drug safety, is unable to meet its obligations by supervising the entirety of the process up to the post-market stage of the products.
These are my first questions.