What we see is that it's actually a very simple proposition. Basically, it's that medicines funded by the public should be accessible to the public.
UAEM's proposal is also very simple. It's a very elegant, ethically sound solution. It just requires a policy shift. It's an easy fix. It actually doesn't require major legislative change, but it does have the potential to impact people in Canada and all over the world.
What's more, the solution that Louise has just been talking about is a solution that's already in practice both nationally and internationally.
First of all, it was adopted as a recommendation by the United Nations High-Level Panel on Access to Medicines in 2016. Also, over 10 leading universities in Europe have adopted global access licensing. On our continent, there are at least 20 universities that have adopted it, including Harvard University, Yale, Johns Hopkins and the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.
Here in Canada, one university has also adopted it, the University of British Columbia, which was a real pioneer university in adopting global access licensing in 2007. They've shown that it can be done.
What we're trying to do here by considering this motion is give the federal government the chance to adopt this approach at a national level, to make it a systemic issue. This would represent a massive step forward in ensuring the systematic affordability of publicly funded medical technologies.
As a champion of global access licensing, Canada can take a lead on the global stage in promising public benefits of federally funded health research.
From the development of insulin in 1922 all the way to the production of an Ebola vaccine in 2014, we've seen how Canadian laboratories and researchers have a long legacy of providing groundbreaking research. For them to contribute to this ever-growing body, we need to make sure the work of those scientists helps all of the people, not just the people who have the luxury to afford it.
These are our drugs, they're our labs, and ultimately they're our responsibility.
Thank you very much.