moved for leave to introduce Bill C-361, an act to amend the Patent Act (life of patents pertaining to medicine).
Madam Speaker, this bill is in response to a growing number of constituents both in my riding and across this country who say that drugs in this country should be affordable. Bill C-91 in a previous government increased the patent protection, doubled it in fact, from 10 years to 20 under the understanding that this would result in an increase in drug research in this country.
Evidence since that time has not shown that it has increased any. My bill seeks to provide a balance by reducing the patent protection from 20 years to 15 years over a 5 year period, 1 year at a time, so that Canadians can afford drugs in this country.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)