Health committee  Yes, that's correct. We have been relatively stable. The two reasons for our recent increase are the increased workload relating to compliance, and also the increased workload relating to this revision of our guidelines, which we hope is going to correct some of the compliance

Health committee  That's correct.

Health committee  Madam, obviously you've been lobbied by the Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association, but here's my answer.

Health committee  First of all, I'll say again, we do not have any control over most generic products.

Health committee  Because if you were a consumer in Canada and knew the technical details related to those two hearings, both of these drugs—and I don't have the file before me—have patents. Our staff have reviewed those prices and found them to be outside the guidelines. The result of the hearin

Health committee  Yes, ma'am. Our mandate is to protect the Canadian consumer.

Health committee  Obviously your last comment is probably correct.

Health committee  We pass it to the Minister of Health on May 31, and it goes to Parliament shortly thereafter, so there's not long to wait.

Health committee  Madam, you're right; 2006 was the year in which the environment changed. But don't forget that some of the increase in our budget relates to this guidelines review process, which is coming to an end.

Health committee  I have it before me here. In 2004, the compliance rate was 95.4%. In 2008 it's going to be down to 87.9%, so it's about 90% compliance. You're going to be getting the document soon.

Health committee  I don't know where you're getting those figures.

Health committee  In a hearing like this, I can't go looking at the papers every two minutes. Whatever the exact number is, the message I'm trying to convey is that there has been a gradual decline in compliance. This means that we're not the ones who are changing. A gradual decline in compliance

Health committee  The number of new drugs requires a full, in-depth investigation right from the outset. However, don't forget that if you have 75 new drugs, last year you had 1,100. So now you have 1,200. The number of drugs that we are mandated to control is steadily creeping up. Each one of the

Health committee  Compliance is one of the reasons our budget increase was necessary, but we are also, as I've said several times, just completing a very long and complicated guidelines review process, which has involved not only public hearings but the issuance of notices of hearings and the eval

Health committee  Dr. Bennett, we had a similar conversation three months ago, when I came the last time. You've obviously been well briefed by the innovative patent pharmaceutical industry in Canada, because the term “mandate creep” originates from a document that was provided to you last time we