Bill C-398

Dear Ms Laverdière,

Re: Your private members bill C-398 -- An act to amend the Patent Act (drugs for international humanitarian purposes)

I promised not to mention this again, but you leave me no choice.

Although this bill died in parliament on a free vote, you and your colleagues keep bringing it up in Business of the House and in Question Period. Stop it please. This parrot is dead.

Maybe it's a good time refocus and ask why the millions of Canadians who have to pay for their own generic drugs are still paying $5 or $10 for a drug that cost $1 in Europe or New Zealand.

Last Wednesday night, Bill C-398 was defeated in the House of Commons by a free vote of 148-141.

Seven Conservative members voted for the bill. The Liberals, NDP, Bloc, and Green party all voted unanimously for the bill except for those individual members who didn't vote. I will let others debate how free this vote really was.

The vote on C-398 was close. I'm just happy at the way it turned out.

Gerald Caplan is one of my favorite columnists. He is smart, caring and introspective.  It's a pity he writes for the Globe & Mail, which I call the Glop & Pail now because it definitely is no longer a newspaper-of-record.

Now we have him on record pimping for Canada's own Big Pharma.  And he drops a few names along the way.

Bill C-398, a sham piece of legislation that will change Canada's Patent Act, has had two hours of debate in the House of Commons. It now proceeds to a vote scheduled for Wednesday, November 28th. 

If this law passes, cheap copycat drugs (for humanitarian purposes) made by Canadian manufacturers can be sold to ANY developing country that might need it instead of the developing countries that take the time to apply for this exemption.

Below are excerpts from these debates that I thought best demonstrated the forces at work here.

The emphasis is mine, sometimes intended to set off either bullshit or irony alarms, sometimes just for highlighting the plain simple truth.

It's quite remarkable to see the left pimping for Canada's Big Pharma.

May the NAY's take the day.

Step right up folks! Free humanitarian aid right here! Help save Africa! Help end the scourge of AIDS. It won't cost you a penny, folks. Step right up. Sign here. Free Humanitarian aid!

Now we don't ask you for money to buy the life saving drugs. And the CGPA members are not actually donating any products or money towards this worthy cause.  The CGPA members Grandmothers Advocacy Network merely ask that Canadians help open up that market. All that is needed is to amend Canada's patent laws for humanitarian purposes.

Bill-398 is a sham. KILL BILL 398.

Who says that Canadians aren't politically engaged?

The campaign to pass Bill C-398 continues. The raging grannies of the Grandmother's Advocacy Network have their petition campaign in full swing now.

MP's from across the country and all parties have proudly stood in the House of Commons to proclaim their support for this sham bill.

This campaign to pass Bill C-398 is nothing but a brazen effort by Canada's home grown Big Pharma to open up a new world market for cheap copycat drugs.

Kill Bill 398. Tell Canada's Big Pharma to play by the rules.

Rabble.ca is a left-leaning web site that claims to be "News for the rest of us". Scroll to the bottom of the home page and you'll discover that most of their funding comes from various union organizations. They don't like free trade; they don't like globalization and they don't like big business. If the people at Rabble had their way, the NDP or the communists would be running the country and every business would be nationalized.

Rabble has a problem with those who don't agree with the majority there. They value freedom of speech and spirited discussion, but only to a point. And they have some jackboot moderators that really relish the power they have.

There is a private members bill -- Bill C-398 An Act to Amend the Patent Act -- that is making it's way through parliament. It has broad support from members of all parties, the media and many well meaning organizations.

And why not? They say this bill is about noble things: helping Africa; fighting AIDS; it's about humanity itself. And it won't cost Canadians a dime.

But Grandma, what big teeth you have!

C-398 is really a cynical ploy by Canada's Big Pharma to rig the laws of Canada (again) so they can profit handsomely from an emerging world market for cheap, high quality, copycat drugs.  Made in Canada and made legally, right?

BILL C-398 is a FRAUD, lawyers and lobbyists dressed up in Grandma's clothing. KILL BILL 398.