Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member and all the other members on this side of the House for their excellent questions.
The industry, whether it be the manufacturers, wholesalers or distributors, is in the best position to detect and monitor potential drug shortages. That is why the Minister of Health has clearly communicated her expectations to industry partners. Industry partners must agree on practices that will allow them to give doctors advance warning of potential drug shortages so that they can adapt accordingly. If the industry partners cannot or will not do that, we are prepared to act in the best interest of patients and prescribe a solution.
Our government is emphasizing that communication must be improved and it is expecting industry partners to provide accurate and relevant information about current and potential drug shortages and to keep their commitment to making accurate, complete and relevant information about current and potential drug shortages available to health professionals and patients across Canada.
In closing, the federal government is closely monitoring the relevance and comprehensiveness of the information being provided by Sandoz in order to ensure that the company is meeting the needs of its clients and health professionals.