Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Industry.
By the year 2000 Canadians will have paid over $600 million extra for their prescription drugs, a penalty imposed on Canadians because the government caved in to the multinational drug lobby.
For 18 months the industry minister has kept reports of these extra secret costs while the minister whispers sweet nothings about a national pharmacare program.
Could the industry minister explain why the government always sides with the big multinationals instead of taking care of people who need drugs, the poor and the sick?