Mr. Speaker, it has been interesting to listen to the member for New Brunswick Southwest struggling to defend an untenable position. I have a great deal of respect for my colleague as a person. It is his policies that we have a great deal of difficulty with.
I am sure hon. members would find it interesting to observe this debate and note that it is the Conservatives in the Chamber who are promoting the position of subsidies for the wealthy and public assistance for the corporate sector, while we New Democrats in the House are pushing hard for competition in the drug sector to ensure that prices remain reasonable and our health care system is sustained and supported.
My question for the member is as follows. He will recall that prior to his former leader, Brian Mulroney, we had a reasonable system in place which included compulsory licensing and reasonable limitations on patent protection. Since the Mulroney era and the beginning of the end of proper and decent public policy in this regard, we have seen drug prices increase in the last decade alone by almost 100%.
Surely the member realizes what that does to people's access to necessary medications. Surely he understands that the return for that kind of public investment in brand name drug companies is not at all commensurate with the development of innovative drugs and breakthroughs for health care in Canada.