Thank you, sirs. We're glad you could join us today.
I'm trying to understand why the legislation hasn't worked and why no pharmaceuticals have actually been delivered. The Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network told the committee that a number of developing countries were not in a position to buy patented medicines, besides which they lacked the industrial capacity to manufacture their own generic pharmaceuticals. They must depend on countries that export pharmaceuticals. Hence the need, of course, for this legislation. It's clear that a need for such products exists.
Moreover, during the course of two meetings, many reasons were given as to why the legislation has failed. Mention was made of the lack of information about the regime— you pointed that out again today. We heard that there wasn't even website up and running. We heard comments such as the complex nature of the regime, the lack of support measures, whether in terms of transportation or clinics. We were even told that at times, some areas are without water. Therefore, the process of sending pharmaceuticals has been hampered by major, fundamental problems. We heard how drug shipments were being diverted. We've seen news reports on this problem and it's easy to understand why it is that in war-torn countries, where even food shipments are diverted, pharmaceuticals are also valuable commodities. We also heard that in some cases, the list of pharmaceuticals in the schedule was overly restrictive. Many other reasons were also cited.
My question for Rx&D officials is this: what efforts are your companies making to supply affordably priced pharmaceuticals? It's clear a need exists. I would also like to ask all of the witnesses to explain why the regime isn't working and what steps they have taken to come to an agreement as to how to make this legislation work.