November 13, 2015<\/p>\n
Last week, the text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership<\/a> (TPP) Agreement was finally made public. Running to more than 6000 pages, it raises a host of grave concerns about its impact on everything from environmental protection to labour and other human rights, from internet privacy to food safety\u2026 and much more, including access to affordable medicines.<\/p>\n Before the final text was released, alarm bells were already ringing: M\u00e9decins Sans Fronti\u00e8res has called<\/a> the TPP \u201cthe most harmful trade pact ever for access to medicines\u201d \u2014\u00a0and not just for those in the negotiating countries, but for many more, since the TPP is being billed as a model for future trade agreements across the globe.<\/p>\n As we outlined in our\u00a0open letter<\/a> to the federal government, various aspects of the TPP are cause for concern when it comes to access to medicines:<\/p>\n But there\u2019s still time to head off this disaster for public health and human rights.<\/p>\n The TPP has to be ratified and implemented by the 12 negotiating countries before it takes effect.This makes it all the more critical that governments hear from the public, whose rights, health and lives will be affected by the TPP\u2019s provisions.<\/p>\n This includes the new government in Ottawa. While PM Trudeau and the Liberal Party have stated support for the TPP in principle during the election, the party also declared<\/a> that \u201cit must keep its word and defend Canadian interests during these negotiations.\u201d<\/p>\n Those interests clearly include access to affordable medicines. Canadians already pay some of the highest drug prices in the world<\/a> and spending on pharmaceutical products is one of the three largest elements of our overall health care spending, year after year. No wonder, then, that Canadians have repeatedly expressed their opposition to longer patents for drug companies<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cCanadian interests\u201d also include a commitment to ending the tragic global gap in access to medicines, particularly burdensome for developing countries facing multiple major public health challenges \u2013 including, but not limited to, HIV. This commitment was reflected in the widespread support \u2014\u00a0including from 80% of Canadians polled \u2014\u00a0for fixing the flaws in Canada\u2019s Access to Medicines Regime<\/a> (CAMR). Such fixes were, and are, needed so that the regime could deliver on Parliament\u2019s previous unanimous pledge (a decade ago!) to support developing countries in getting more affordable, generic medicines.<\/p>\n Sadly, a bill to fix CAMR was narrowly defeated<\/a> by the previous government in the last Parliament \u2014\u00a0and while the new government has not yet specifically committed to supporting those reforms again in the new Parliament (as it did previously), it did declare during the election<\/a> that \u201cthere is no question that we need to get more low-cost medicines and other essential medical supplies and equipment to people in developing countries.\u201d<\/p>\n Canada\u2019s new government should not only fix the existing flawed CAMR, but also reject the TPP in its current form. The agreement\u2019s provisions stand in direct contradiction to the goals of improving access to medicines, for Canadians and for people in developing countries. Canada should:<\/strong><\/p>\nWhat\u2019s the threat?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Time for action<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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What action can you take?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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