Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
First of all, I want to thank the witnesses today. When we started this study, I think all of us thought that where the system was.... After hearing from witnesses, we're starting to paint a bit of a picture out there. At first, I thought Canadians weren't getting access to pharmaceuticals and that was the biggest problem. But in hearing the witnesses who were here last week, and then using Mr. Google, I've found out that Canadians are the number two consumers of pharmaceuticals in the world.
I like what Dr. Martin said. We rank in the top 10% of countries that use benzodiazepines, opioids, and stimulants. We're number four with respect to antidepressants, number two with respect to opioids. That in itself is costing taxpayers a lot of money. And with all due respect, Dr. Martin, it's not just which drugs you choose, but at the end of the day, somebody is writing prescriptions for these things.
I know we're trying to get our heads around what the role of the federal government is. I know that different governments have taken different approaches, and I remember a controversial one for the opioids. I remember Deb Matthews in Ontario a few years ago, the frustration.... She was out there urging all provinces and territories to band together to convince Health Canada to block generic forms of opioids. She's on the ground as a politician. She's a lot closer than we are. She said that Ontario had the highest rate of prescription narcotic abuse in the country, two to four times higher than any other province. She mentioned the challenge with first nations communities, where the federal government does cover prescriptions. She said it has devastated many first nations communities, including one small northern reserve where 85% of residents are addicted to opioids. When we hear stuff like that, it just tears our hearts out, because you want to do the best. All Canadians want to have access to the pharmaceuticals and treatments that they need. She was quoted as saying that we simply don't need easily abused long-acting oxycodone drugs to achieve better care.
My question would be, how far do governments go? Dr. Martin, you're on the ground. Do you agree with Deb Matthews and her analysis with certain segments of the pharmaceutical prescriptions?