Further to Mr. Oliver's and Ms. Gladu's comments, I hear what Mr. Oliver is saying. The special access program obviously precedes this current government. There have been criticisms of it in this current government and in governments before.
The reality is that when a physician says that the patient, because of the condition, should receive a certain drug, but it is rejected by Health Canada, that's one of the issues that we deal with. It's important because I think, with reference to what Mr. Oliver is saying, that's how we hope the program is to work: if the physician says, “Yes, the patient should receive drug X, Y, or Z” to give the patient the best chance for a good outcome, we believe that Health Canada would grant that and allow for that drug to be provided. In some cases, and in this case, not only do the patients receive the best outcome with it, but it's also a fraction of the cost.
I think it would be great to hear from witnesses, whether they be physicians, concerned family members, or Health Canada. It would be great to have them appear before the committee to give us some understanding as to why they do what they do—in this case, why they are rejecting what a physician has recommended when the patient has had some significant positive outcomes with the drug. I think that would be all we're asking. We're not asking to slam the government, the minister, or the department. I'm just trying to do the right thing in a non-partisan way, and hopefully we could have a unanimous recommendation to do something positive for not just the 75 families who are dealing with this, but probably hundreds if not thousands of other families who face this very stressful situation of receiving 30-day, 60-day, or whatever number of days' access to the drug mentioned.
I would ask that the committee consider that proposal. Hopefully Mr. Oliver and the Liberals, even if they want to amend it—I would be open to that—would allow a chance to have a hearing in front of this committee.
Thank you.