Good afternoon. Thank you very much for being here today.
I would like to talk again about intellectual property and patents. We know that, if Canadian regulations adjust to the European legislation, the duration of patents will change. We know that the direct consequence of that kind of decision would increase the cost of prescription medication.
You are talking about reducing the costs to the provinces, but I think instead it's a question of increasing the spending of the health budgets of provinces. We also know that the ratio of research and development in Canada is 6.9%. In France and the United Kingdom, it's double, but the cost of medication is 10% less than the cost of medication in Canada.
In 2009, the Canadian pharmaceutical sector received $2.3 billion in financial support, as part of the support to the private sector for research and development, which generated $1.5 billion in investments in the area of employment. So it cost Canadians $1.48 in public financial support to the pharmaceutical company to generate one dollar in economic spinoffs in payroll. So the spinoffs are less than about 32%.
What will the consequences be of increasing patent duration on job creation and research and development? Will it increase research and development in Canada?