Mr. Speaker, Health Canada has ordered nearly one million tablets of a generic version of Cipro, one of the drugs used to treat anthrax, even though the patent owner of the drug has adequate stock on hand, has tripled its production, and was unaware of Health Canada's decision to place an order with a generic manufacturer. The only legal reason to overrule the patent laws is if the government has declared a domestic state of emergency.
Can the Minister of Industry tell the House if he believes it is a good idea to break Canadian patent law or has he declared a state of emergency and simply forgot to tell the House of Commons?