As you know, Canada's Access to Medicines Regime implements a provision of the accord of the WTO, the World Trade Organization, enabling developed countries to grant mandatory licences for the manufacture and export of low-cost generic versions of medicines for developing countries.
In accordance with the decision made by the WTO in August 2003, a medicine cannot be exported under this regime unless a developing country has not advised the WTO or Canada of its intention to import it. I wish to inform you that, to date, none of those countries has expressed such an intention. This lack of interest concerns not only Canada, but also six other countries that have provisions similar to ours. Six other countries and the European Union have implemented the WTO's decisions, and, to date, none of those countries has received requests from developing countries. That is why the government is now actively promoting this regime to those countries. Only July 28, a CD-ROM and a Web site were launched to assist and inform parties interested in the regime, to encourage those countries to take part in the program. Under the Patent Act, my department must complete a review of this regime by May 2007. To provide a more specific answer to your question, I will say that we're going to review the regime and that we will be tabling a report in Parliament on the findings of that review in May 2007.
At the International AIDS Conference held in Toronto last August, non-governmental organizations criticized the Canadian program and demanded that the government amend the Patent Act so as to eliminate needless barriers so that these countries could enjoy access to these medicines. We take this very seriously and we're checking everything. I am anxious to table this report and I will do so as soon as possible.