[Viva] FW: Message to members: C-393 before the holidays.campaign continues in 2011!

[Tami Starlight]

From: Gilleen Witkowski [mailto:GWitkowski at aidslaw.ca] 
Sent: December-16-10 11:20 AM
To: Ross Harvey
Subject: Message to members: C-393 before the holidays.campaign continues in
2011!

 

Dear Legal Network members,

 

Thank you very much for your support over the past months in the Bill C-393
campaign to reform Canada’s Access to Medicines Regime!  

 

We could not have come this far without you.   Calling and e-mailing MPs,
writing letters to the editors, and sharing information online has put
pressure on Parliament and made it clear that Canadians care about getting
affordable generic medicine to developing countries.

 

Please do remember to let us know if you get feedback from any MP, as this
information is very helpful for our advocacy efforts.

 

Where Bill C-393 stands now: 

 

We learned last night that the House of Commons is breaking this afternoon
before the debate on Bill C-393 begins.   This means the bill will be at the
top of the agenda when Parliament resumes in the new year – which is
currently scheduled for January 31, 2011.   Our supporters will then fight
for two things: (1) to have the key “one-licence solution” reinserted into
the bill, and (2) to have a new sponsor recognized for the bill so that it
can proceed to third reading.

 

All three opposition parties – the NDP, the Liberals and the Bloc Québécois
– have committed that they will support the request for a new sponsor.
Some individual Conservative MPs support this as well.   But so far, the
Conservative government has not committed to extending this basic courtesy
in the House of Commons, which risks derailing Bill C-393 over a minor
procedural technicality.   They need to hear from Canadians that this is
unacceptable.

 

As for restoring the one-licence solution to Bill C-393, the NDP and Bloc
Québécois caucuses have confirmed they support it.   So, too, does a
majority of Liberals, although there are some strong opponents of Bill C-393
within the Liberal caucus who keep putting forward misguided and often
illogical arguments against the bill – many of which are very conveniently
repeating the same talking points we’ve heard for years from big pharma.
Some Conservative MPs have indicated their support for Bill C-393, including
the one-licence solution, but so far the Conservative government is opposing
it – and some Ministers are still repeating blatantly inaccurate claims
about what the bill says.

 

The Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network and our allies, which include many
concerned Canadians, will continue the pressure for Bill C-393 in 2011.
We’ll need your help as the campaign continues.   Stay tuned!

 

In the meantime, check out this video of a recent “die-in” in support of
Bill C-393 in downtown Toronto from a few days ago:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElKRjgZAX3Y.   Congratulations and thanks to
the students and AIDS ACTION NOW! members who organized it!

 

Thank you and happy holidays from the Legal Network!

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