Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member should know, pharmaceutical drugs are the major cost implication when it comes to health care. Since the Conservatives, under Brian Mulroney, brought in the drug patent legislation, drug prices have tripled to the point where we now pay more for pills than we do for doctors' fees.
Quite clearly the most expensive system within the health care system is controlled by the private sector. With the over 20 year patent protection that the drug companies have and with the escalating cost of drugs for people, what would the member's party specifically recommend to control drug costs across the country? What would he do to help the generic companies offset those costs so that Canadians can have better access to cheaper drugs in their long term health care?