Mr. Speaker, once again I have the opportunity to congratulate all the members of the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology. It was a great experience to see all the members of this committee working together in the interest of poor and developing countries. It was a sight to see and I would like to congratulate everyone.
Regarding the motions in Group No. 2, I was there when the member for Windsor West tabled a series of amendments to the bill in order to include other drugs on the list or in the government's program with respect to this bill, or to add other forms of drugs. For instance, a drug may have already been on the list, but only in tablet form and not as a soluble or other type. I supported almost all the motions.
The motions tabled mainly by the member for Windsor West regarding the drugs that should be included in the program and that I did not support, were Motions Nos. 14 and 15. Motion No. 14 is to add clarithromycin and Motion No. 18 is to add moxifloxacin hydrochloride.
To me, the principle is quite simple: not to authorize the use or the export of drugs in developing countries for treatment that we would not use here, if it is not authorized in Canada.
The two drugs listed in Motions Nos. 14 and 18, which the member for Windsor West wants on the list so they can be used for this kind of illness or that kind of illness, are not authorized here in Canada. Is the idea that we are going to experiment? Are we going to use people of the developing world and the least developed countries as guinea pigs for treatments that we have not as yet authorized here?
No. I think the government's position is clear. The drugs have to be authorized by our experts here in Canada for a specific use. Then the licences, if licences are to be given out, would be based on Health Canada, not on nothing, because that is basically what it would be.
I seriously think we are finding a certain attitude here. Let me go back to Motion No. 2, which would actually overturn a subamendment adopted after full and fulsome debate in committee. An overwhelming majority of the members voted in favour of the subamendment, yet the member for Windsor West wishes to overturn that democratic decision taken in committee in order to allow persons or entities to contract for these cheaper drugs here in Canada and go into countries without having any link whatsoever with the government in place.
The subamendment that the committee in its wisdom adopted was based on the fact that we cannot do that and we should not do that. We are not living in a colonialist world. We are no longer living in a Eurocentric world. We are living in a world where we recognize sovereign state to sovereign state, government to government. That is what WTO is all about.
When we come to the list of medications that should be on the schedule, I say let the expert advisory committee determine whether or not they are drugs that could be used for treatments here in Canada. If the advisory committee, in its wisdom and with its expertise, says yes, then the drug would be added to the schedule. We do not add medication to the schedule which has not been approved for that kind of use or has not been approved in Canada for the specific use that the member or organizations intend to use it for in other countries. We do not use people as guinea pigs.