This Video presents “Bill C-398: Access to Medicines Now”:
More than seven years ago, Parliament unanimously passed a bill creating Canada’s Access to Medicines Regime (CAMR):
- “To help get lower-cost, generic medicines to people in developing countries, where high prices of brand-name drugs keep medicines out of reach for far too many
- To date, only one order of one AIDS drug has been sent to a single country
- Both developing countries and generic drug manufacturers have said that the current regime is too cumbersome and difficult to use – and it is highly unlikely that CAMR will be used again unless it is reformed
- In the last Parliament, a 60-vote majority of the House of Commons passed Bill C-393 in early March 2011
-
This bill would have fixed CAMR and enjoyed widespread support from humanitarian organizations, health professionals, and religious and community leaders
-
A national poll found that 80% of those surveyed supported proposals to fix CAMR and deliver on Canada’s pledge to help developing countries
-
MPs from all parties supported the bill
-
But Bill C-393 died on the Order Paper when Parliament was dissolved and the 2011 federal election was called”
-
Both the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network and the Canadian Make Poverty History are urging us to save lives and end needless suffering across the developing world by joining thousands of other Canadians and letting your MP know you want Bill C-398 to pass at second reading.
Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network states that “our bill is up for second reading vote on November 28, 2012. We have support from members of all parties, but thus far, the Government has opposed Bill C-398 and plenty of patently false claims about the bill are being circulated to MPs. If we are short on “yes” votes, the bill dies right then and there. But if we push, we can save lives.“
Chantal Havard for Make Poverty History explains that this “bill now before Parliament would reform Canada’s flawed Access to Medicines Regime (CAMR) so that Canada can export affordable generic medicines to poor countries. By approving this important piece of humanitarian legislation Parliament can save lives and end needless suffering across the developing world. No one should do without medical treatment because she or he cannot afford the medicine. But that is precisely what is happening. The high cost of patented drugs breaks the budget of individuals and government health departments. Bill C-398 can end this horrible injustice. Learn more about it at medicinesforall.ca .
Your message can make a difference.“
And please help us spread the word on CAMR Reform to your family, friends, colleagues, community members and anyone else you think would be interested in supporting this important campaign, before November 28, 2012.
———————————————————
You may also want to know: