Campaign email to Members of Parliament

I worked with Oxfam Canada on successful campaign asking federal representatives to supply generic medicines around the world at more affordable prices. This is the letter we had our supporters send their elected officials. 

Dear Member of Parliament,

You have an amazing opportunity right now.  There is a bill in front of the House right now that would save lives around the world, without costing Canadian taxpayers a dime.

In many places in the world, countless people are dying every day of AIDS, Tuberculosis, Malaria and a host of other diseases.

But these deaths are preventable and you can help prevent them, by fixing Canada’s broken Access to Medicines Regime (CAMR) to supply generic medicines at more affordable prices.

What these countries need is access to generic medications.

The good news is: The political will exists to ensure this access. In 2004, Parliament unanimously passed legislation creating Canada’s Access to Medicines Regime (CAMR).

The bad news is: CAMR is broken

As the legislation functions now, generic drug manufacturers are required to negotiate with patent holders on a country-by-country and drug-by-drug basis, before they are able to distribute affordable life saving medicines.   Due to this complexity and difficulty of use, CAMR has been deemed unworkable in its present form.

In more than six years, CAMR has resulted in only one order of one AIDS drug to one country.

But wait! There is more good news: Bill C-393 – in its original form – would solve this problem.  It contains a one-license-solution, which would eliminate the need for separate negotiations with patent-holders for each purchasing country and each order of medicines. It would provide a more workable process to get affordable medicines for people in developing countries. And it would do all of this while meeting every one of Canada’s international legal obligations, including WTO rules.

Please commit to voting to restore the “one-license” solution to Bill C-393.

You will be directly responsible for saving lives.

Thank you.

Sincerely