Mr. Chair, earlier I quoted the Government of Canada’s chief negotiator who testified in June before the Standing Committee on International Trade. He mentioned at the time that one of the most important considerations for the Europeans, and something they focus on more than anything else, is intellectual property. This has been largely clarified since then.
It has become apparent that the Europeans want to go much further than the protection that is currently offered in Canada when it comes to pharmaceuticals. The Bloc Québécois believes that a balance must be struck between what generic drug companies are doing on the one hand and what companies launching new products are doing on the other. Checks and balances, and an enhanced assessment process, must be put in place in order to ensure that any move in a direction that benefits one group will not come at the expense of other companies, and cause them great angst, when new measures are adopted.