Mr. Speaker, throughout the day I have heard members talk about the price of drugs and how difficult it is for some individuals to gain access to them. I have given this example before.
Access is what we should be talking about, especially for patients with rare diseases. The system we have right now allows a quasi-governmental organization like CADTH to approve drugs, leaving provincial public insurers to reimburse the costs. I have constituents in my riding, like Joshua and Sharon Wong, who have a drug that is approved for use in Canada, but is not available for reimbursement by their public insurer.
This situation will get worse with a national pharmacare system. To control the costs of such a system a formulary must be introduced and it must be mandatory to stick to it, taking away the ability of patients and doctors to make decisions that are best for them. I do not believe a national pharmacare system will make it any better. The Canadian Organization for Rare Disorders has cautioned the government on this.
Could the member comment on that?