Libby Davies

[Emergency Debate, March 12th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I think the issue at Sandoz, as my colleague has outlined, is something that has really made the situation very serious, but it is part of an overall shortage.

The whole issue of sole-source suppliers is something that does require a very thorough investigation. We do know that Canadian hospitals relied 100% on this one company for their injectable opiates, for examples, and they were not given adequate warning. In fact, we know that this company was initially warned by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that they had to make upgrades, and yet this information was not properly communicated.

It does raise the question, just as we saw with the H1N1 vaccine, that the federal government as a major player has to be involved to ensure that these kinds of developments can be prevented. We could have prevented this. I am sure that the people at the plant want to get back to work and do the job they know needs to be done. However, if there is no system in place and no involvement by the federal government, then we have a disaster on our hands.

[Emergency Debate, March 12th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, 10 minutes goes by very fast. I was barely able to touch on that very important issue. I do think this is why we need to have proper inquiry.

A number of reports, some of them American, have come out and given us some information on why these shortages are taking place. I did try to illuminate some of the causes or reasons.

Some of the drug companies say it is a problem with getting some raw materials, and so the production side and actually assembling what is needed is a problem. I think that needs to be investigated.

I do think there is an issue, and I have certainly been reading about this, with the increasing number of mergers of these drug companies in recent years. That means there are now fewer companies that are producing. Certainly the issue of sole-source supply is also a cause of concern and something that needs to be investigated. We saw this issue with the H1N1 vaccine when the federal government was scrambling to find an adequate supply.

There is also an issue, and there have been many queries and concerns about this, that this is so reliant on the marketplace. To me, this is in the public interest and it is imperative that the federal government intervene. When we leave it to market production and see mergers and issues with generic brands possibly being decreased in favour of more profitable brands, this is not serving the needs of patients.

These are all factors that contribute to the shortage that we are seeing and that need to be investigated with a proper reporting mechanism and a proper inquiry.

[Emergency Debate, March 12th, 2012]

moved:

That the House do now adjourn.

Mr. Speaker, first of all, I would like to say that I will be sharing my time this evening with the hon. member for Beauharnois—Salaberry.

I would like to thank you, Mr. Speaker, for agreeing to my request to have an emergency debate on this very critical issue of drug shortages in Canada. I made the request on Friday and I am very glad that the House has an opportunity to discuss this very critical issue. Being in our ridings and our home communities over the weekend, I have no doubt that many members of Parliament probably heard from constituents how concerned they are about this escalating drug shortage in Canada.

We know that this shortage has been ongoing for a period of time, but in the last month or so it has become something that is now approaching a critical nature because of the closure of the Sandoz plant. We are also aware that this shortage is projected to last 12 to 18 months. Across the country many regions have had to change their prescription strategies to use replacements, often without experience about how they work, and to limit elective surgeries. As we gather information across the country and from ongoing news reports, we know now that pretty well every province and region is affected.

We need to put on the record that this shortage is having the most serious impact on patients in intensive care units and those who are dying and in need of pain management. We know that hospitals in Quebec are cancelling elective surgery and that hospitals in Ottawa are saying that they will probably have to do so in the next few weeks if their drug supplies are further depleted. We also know that in Alberta, Manitoba and B.C., they are also suggesting that they will have to do the same if the situation continues.

Although I am not a health expert, certainly from all of the information that we have before us, we know that injectable opiates are the main method of pain control for surgery, post-operative care and any hospital admission. With the hospitals running low on these drugs, they are now being forced to cancel elective surgeries and to save the medications for severely ill patients and those who need serious pain management.

We know, for example, that for patients in Alberta who are undergoing chemotherapy they are now being asked to buy their own anti-nausea drugs because the hospitals can no longer provide extra supplies. These drugs are very expensive. They can cost up to $13 a pill and it is good to know that the Province of Alberta has said it would reimburse the cost, but still it puts patients at a great hardship and disadvantage.

Right across the country there are stakeholders, health care interests, who are speaking out and I would like to read into the record some of what is being said about this crisis. For example, Dr. Rick Chisholm, president of the Canadian Anesthesiologists' Society, has been calling on the federal government to develop a national strategy to “anticipate, identify and manage shortages” of essential drugs.

We know that the Ontario Health Minister, Deb Matthews, has said that Ontario did not get any advance notice about the shortages. In fact, she pointed out that the provinces have no way of knowing when a supply is short because the federal government does not require drug companies to report gaps in supply.

We know that the Alberta Health Minister, Mr. Horne, has said that “We're not going to stand by and simply wait to hear from Sandoz”, the company that shut down, “or the federal government”.

We hear from a specialist nurse manager in Vancouver who specializes in pain management, who says that she cannot understand how the federal government has allowed the supply of all injectable opiates to be threatened.

The Cancer Control Society has pointed out that Health Canada is the regulator of drugs. It approves and certifies drugs for sale and monitors safety and regulates the way drug companies operate. It also points out that other countries have taken much more action to protect patients, including mandatory reporting and inquiries to address the root causes. It calls for a plan that must focus on the needs of patients.

We also know that the Canadian Medical Association did a survey more than a year ago where 74% of doctors surveyed said that they had encountered shortages of generic drugs, most commonly antibiotics.

We also know, and this is very concerning, that the Canadian Pain Society has reported that it is seeing an increase in people who are feeling suicidal because they are so worried about the lack of medication that they depend on every day. We are facing an incredibly serious situation.

There have been many reports over the years from the Canadian Pharmacists Association. The pharmacists have been sounding the alarm on this issue for a very long time and there have been media reports. Yet the response we have seem from the federal government has been, at best, completely inadequate and in fact really quite pathetic.

What has the federal government done? Well, it set up a voluntary reporting system. As we have heard from some of the provincial health ministers, setting up a voluntary system does nothing to require these companies to report information when they know they are going to have a shortage.

I think it is very interesting that in the United States, by contrast, in October 2011, President Obama issued an executive order directing the FDA to require drug manufacturers to provide adequate notice. In fact, there is currently legislation in the American Congress to require, not just ask, all companies to give six months' advance notice of potential shortages, punishable by civil fines for non-compliance that could reach $1.8 million under the proposed bill.

We can see that this problem is very widespread. It does not just involve Canada, but other countries have taken much more serious note of what is happening and are being proactive in intervening and ensuring that patients are not suffering.

It is very sad and disturbing, unfortunately, to see that the federal government and Health Canada have not taken such action in Canada. Therefore, I think it is very important to have this debate to hear the perspectives of different parties on the nature of the crisis and what we believe should be done.

I would suggest that the first issue we need to focus on is the need for Health Canada and the federal government to become much more involved in this issue. A voluntary committee is just not going to cut it. We know that provincial health ministers are now having daily calls to try to sort out this mess and the very real threat they face in deciding what to do in their individual jurisdictions and with the hospitals that depend on these now unavailable drugs.

I think it is imperative that Health Canada and the federal government acknowledge that they have not been proactive on this issue. Calling for voluntary measures to set up a website has not done anything to mitigate the crisis now before us. They need to take much stronger action.

We believe that there should be a review, an inquiry, about why these shortages exist and that we should put in place a mandatory reporting system. This is being done in other countries and is working for them. I think there needs to be a much better explanation from the drug companies about the problems they may encounter and if there are other factors at play such as mergers or a focus on marketing more expensive drugs, which, in effect, diminish the supply of generic drugs. This is a major issue that requires investigation.

It is an important first step to have this debate tonight to investigate what is going on and to say to the federal government that more has to be done. All of the stakeholders in Canada, some of whom I mentioned tonight, are calling for strong leadership and action by the federal government.

I hope that as a result of this debate tonight and the focus on this issue, we will see action and not see the health minister basically blame everyone else and in saying, oh well, it is the drug companies, it is the provinces, it is the territories and it is their problem. This is all of our problem; this is something that requires our attention.

We need to focus on the needs of patients. We need to make sure that people are not left in dire circumstances without proper pain management or the drugs they require because of a shortage that can be prevented and managed. We can put in place a plan that would work for people.

I look forward to the debate tonight and the various points of view that are offered.

[Request for Emergency Debate, March 9th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, in accordance with Standing Order 52(1), I am requesting that we hold an emergency debate for the purpose of discussing the widespread drug shortages that I think people are now very familiar with. This is a matter that demands our urgent consideration.

We have become increasingly aware that hospitals and regional health units across the country are currently experiencing severe drug shortages. The impact of these shortages means that, for example, critically ill patients are having their cancer treatment drugs rationed. People with high blood pressure and heart conditions are being affected. Moreover, people suffering from chronic pain, or the side effects of terminal illness, or post-operative pain, or experiencing other severe pain cannot get a hold of their opiate medications. Also alarming is that the hospitals are already cancelling surgeries and limiting treatment.

I am sure that members have been hearing from their local communities about this emergent situation and how it is impacting so many people and their families. I do believe that all parties and members would want to share their perspectives on what is going on.

There has been some debate on this during question period in the House, but I think the need for an emergency debate is very evident. I hope that you will respectfully consider my request, Mr. Speaker. I realize that today is a Friday, so I would be quite amenable if the debate were to take place on Monday. However, I do feel it is a very emergent situation and ask for your careful consideration.

[Elections Canada, March 9th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, we hope to see the follow through on that motion and the commitment in legislation.

I will move on to another aspect of this. Yesterday, on CBC, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister said that the Conservative Party had provided the documents that Elections Canada requested about the fraud in Guelph. This comes after the Conservatives have repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in Guelph, even though they threw a Conservative staffer under the bus and tried to blame the guy for the whole scandal.

Will the Prime Minister now admit what everyone knows, which is that the party is under investigation for its activities in Guelph?

[Elections Canada, March 9th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, let us stick to the facts about what is really going on here.

In 2005, the Prime Minister said that the government has “the moral responsibility to respect the will of the House”.

If the Conservatives agree to our motion and it passes, will they commit to introduce legislation within six months to ban these activities or will they ignore the will of the House, as they have done so many times, and hope to weather the storm?

[Elections Canada, March 9th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has said that he supports the NDP motion to improve transparency in election practices. What he has not been clear about is whether he supports giving the Chief Electoral Officer the power to look at files from the last election without a warrant or calling in the RCMP.

My question is for the Prime Minister. Do the Conservatives believe that Elections Canada should have the power to look at all records from the 2011 election?

[Charlie Quan, March 9th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to rise today to pay tribute to a remarkable Canadian, Charlie Quan, who died February 23 at the age of 105.

Mr. Quan was one of the oldest living head tax payers in Canada and for many years fought for justice and redress from the unjust and racist head tax and Chinese Exclusion Act that separated him from his family. He paid the $500 head tax in 1923 but it took until 2006 for the Government of Canada to issue a formal apology.

I had the honour to meet Mr. Quan, who was my constituent, and know that his perseverance inspired younger generations to keep advocating for justice. This struggle still goes on today for the many families who have not yet received compensation and justice.

Mr. Quan was an honourable gentleman, who only ever wanted the right thing to be done, that all of us learn from history to ensure that these injustices are not repeated against any people or group.

I hope all parliamentarians and governments will honour his memory and work to end racism, discrimination and injustice.

I offer my deepest condolences to his family.

[Business of Supply, March 8th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague's comments were very passionate and he provided a good overview of this unfolding situation of alleged voter fraud and the calls that took place. I agree with everything he said, particularly the fact that the NDP has been very proactive on this issue and has brought it to the floor of the House of Commons.

I attended a big rally in Vancouver last Saturday. Hundreds of people came out, on two or three days notice, because they were so incensed and upset about the alleged election fraud, the calls that had taken place and the people who had been misdirected. We heard the Conservative government try to frame this as somehow isolated incidents or one person being fired. However, I can tell the member, and I am sure he knows, that there were 31,000 calls to Elections Canada alone.

I think people know this was quite systematic. Could the member respond to that? We are not dealing with isolated incidents; we are dealing with a systematic attempt in terms of what happened in the election.

[41st General Election, March 8th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives cannot write this off by just saying it was some sort of isolated situation. The fact is, RMG merged with Xentel, which has similar dubious tactics. In February 2010, Xentel was fined $500,000 by the CRTC for violating Canada's do not call list. It was also charged $75,000 in Missouri for “manipulative, high-pressure techniques to solicit donations”. Does that sound familiar?

The Conservatives are accusing the NDP of demeaning voters when we ask tough questions. However, what could be more demeaning than funding Xentel and RMG's unethical behaviour?