My name is Jamie Pollock, and I am from Cape Breton.
One of the things I am not is a fluent speaker or slick with my words, but one of the things I love to do is say that I'm a Canadian. As Canadians, I and the people I've talked to are not in favour of the TPP.
I would like to talk today about prescription drugs. I've spent the last 29 years in health care, working in long-term care in the nursing home sector. In the last five years, I've transferred over to a program called the adult day program. Our job is to keep seniors out of the nursing home as long as possible so that they can enjoy the last years they have with dignity and respect.
I see our clients coming to the adult day program, on average, three times a week. They can't afford their medications. They're not taking medications because they don't have the money. With the pharmaceutical companies and the patent extensions that will be part of the TPP, the generic drugs will now be delayed when this whole process takes place.
They can't afford it now. People say that in Cape Breton the seniors eat toast and tea because that's what they like. I don't believe it's geographical; I believe it's because they don't have the money. You're going to take these seniors, citizens of Canada, who can't afford it now....
Drug companies are getting richer, and everybody else is getting poorer. We deserve better than that. I really feel that, as was mentioned before, we don't have a level playing field. It's not there. The seniors, Canadian citizens, deserve better.
I really wish you guys would reconsider this. Thank you.