Mr. Speaker, there certainly are times when perseverance pays off. A classic example of this is Margaret Penwarden from Victoria West, which is in my riding of Egmont in Prince Edward Island.
Margaret was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis almost three years ago. She started taking Betaseron in July 1996. This drug produced a substantial improvement in her condition. The problem, however, was that Betaseron was a very expensive drug, with an average annual cost of approximately $17,000. Even with a drug plan she had to pay $6,000 out of her own pocket.
Many P.E.I. MS sufferers had no drug plan and therefore could not afford the drug. Margaret, supported by the Atlantic division of the MS Society of Canada, started a crusade to have these drug costs covered by the provincial health plan.
While it was a long and arduous fight, ranging from a letter writing campaign to an actual sit-in at the provincial legislature, Margaret and her MS sufferers eventually prevailed. In October of this year the provincial government finally announced that the cost of Betaseron and three other MS treatment drugs would, in part, be covered under the provincial plan.