Take patent discussions, health care out of Canada-Europe free trade talks
Here’s a letter I wrote to my beloved prime minister via the Canadian Health Coalition’s campaign against patent protection and health care’s inclusion in Canada-Europe free trade talks. Please take a minute to sign and send the letter.
Dear Prime Minister:
It seems strange to me that we would be contemplating trade agreement provisions that could restrict the use of common scientific knowledge in the pursuit of more cost effective drugs.
For a party that purports to like free markets, locking down the right to use common chemical formulas via patent laws seems something of a contradiction.
It doesn’t make your government any smaller and it will cost your voters an extra $1 billion annually.
I’m talking about the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) negotiations on drug patents of course.
Access to medicines made from commonly available forumulas and scientific knowledge are an important part of a sustainable public health care system.
“Sustainable”. You like that work when it’s applied to social programs, right? Because it usually means “cutbacks”. Here we’re using it to mean “reduced profits for companies that engage in monopolistic practices”. Neat huh?
I look forward to hearing a reasoned, direct response to my concerns, and not merely an over-long reiteration of your talking points.
Yours very truly, Chris Lawson
