A Canadian Press news article being picked up widely by media outlets tonight reports, “As free trade talks with the European Union reach the endgame, Ottawa is signalling it is prepared to give the Europeans at least part of what they asked for on drug patents — a move that could cost Canadians up to $900 million a year.”
“An internal government calculation of the effect of such a move pegs the cost at between $367 million and $903 million a year, since longer patents mean provincial governments, employers and consumers will wind up buying brand-name drugs for a longer period rather than cheaper generics. But it could be worse. A full concession to EU demands on patent-term restoration would extend brand-name patents by an average of 2.66 years, and cost Canadians between $795 million and $2 billion a year, according to government calculations obtained last month by The Canadian Press. Sources say Ottawa is not willing to go that far, but could settle for a more moderate version of the EU demands.”
“With negotiations at the bureaucratic level nearing closure, International Trade Minister Ed Fast will meet his European counterpart in Brussels next week (likely November 22-23), taking the discussions to the next level. He and Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz hope to hammer out the most contentious details of the agreement in hopes of bringing it to a close in the coming weeks — although both Canada and Europe are indicating that discussions will likely drag on into the new year.”
“Ottawa-based international trade consultant Laura Dawson (says) since ceding ground on pharmaceutical patents will probably be demanded of Canada in upcoming trade talks with Pacific nations anyway, a partial concession with Europe — in return for something else — seems like a wise move.”
“NDP trade critic Don Davies said increased patent protection wouldn’t necessarily be a deal-breaker for the official Opposition. The NDP will wait to see the final agreement in its entirety and weigh the overall pros and cons before taking a position on it.”
Today and tomorrow we’ll continue to work to get this statement by Council of Canadians chairperson Maude Barlow into news reports — “The premiers have to reject this absolute sell-out by the Harper government. Trade Minister Ed Fast might as well carry a suitcase full of money to hand personally to Europe’s big pharma lobby when he meets the European Trade Commissioner next week to announce Canada’s capitulation on this issue. Our health care systems cannot afford to take a billion-dollar hit from higher drug costs. There is no payoff to Canadians from making any compromises to the EU on drugs. We call on Canadians to pressure their provincial governments to reject any Canada-EU trade deal that will make drugs more expensive for Canadians.”
A poll released by the Council of Canadians in September found that 69 percent of Canadians would be opposed to CETA if it lengthens patent protections for brand name drugs.
Tomorrow, we’ll have an action alert on this issue and an update on protests being planned in opposition to, as reported by the Canadian Press, “a public relations blitz (launched by the Harper government) designed to convince Canadians that the free-trade deal with Europe will mean better sales of ‘iconic’ Canadian goods such as maple syrup and Tilley hats, and bring in benefits to the tune of $1,000 extra per family per year.”
More on our campaign against CETA at http://canadians.org/ceta.