Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I'll note that the Conservatives have allowed one amendment to be voted on in three hours. Thousands and thousands of dollars of committee time have been devoted to this study, and the Conservatives' filibuster blocking this legislation, as they have been blocking it since February 29, has meant that Canadian taxpayers, folks who are working hard trying to make ends meet, have seen thousands of their tax dollars going into a filibuster to block legislation that is going to help people.
I want to address the national bulk purchasing strategy, because it is true that Canadians pay more, and they pay more because of Conservative government decisions to extend patent protection. It was a beautiful sweetheart deal by a former Conservative government that extended patent protection so that Canadians pay unbelievably high drug prices. It was Conservatives who caused that, and instead of saying, “Gee, we're sorry, Canada. We apologize for everything we've done to wreck your access to medication”, we have Conservatives filibustering the next step, which is having a national bulk purchasing strategy that, through universal single-payer pharmacare, would allow us to bring the cost of those drugs down.
When New Zealand did the same thing, Mr. Chair—and I know you're aware of that—the cost of some drugs went down by 90%. Not only does this bill, Bill C-64, enhance Canadians' ability to access medication—diabetes medication and contraceptive medication and devices—but by putting in place a national bulk purchasing strategy, it also allows us to start what other countries have already found, which is, rather than paying massive prices and extending patent protection to the pharmaceutical industry with the huge costs that has entailed—it's made huge profits, and lobbyists are happy—having a national drug purchasing policy that will allow us to follow the lead of countries like New Zealand that have reduced the cost by 90%.
What this Conservative amendment, CPC-9, proposes to do is stop that, freeze it in place and not allow the bill to move further so that we can have in place a national drug purchasing strategy that goes beyond diabetes and contraceptives. I oppose this.
It's been three hours. Conservatives have allowed one amendment to come to a vote. I wish they would stop doing this, as it's not in the interest of their constituents or of any Canadians for them to continue as they have since February 29 in blocking this legislation.