On medical waste

With the federal political scene this week featuring a scathing auditor-general's report, a scathing environmental commissioner's report and a transparent attempt to deflect attention from both, it's not surprising that it's been difficult for other issues to make their way onto the scene. But lost in shuffle has been yet another addition to Tony Clement's list of asinine statements on the health care file.

Keep in mind Clement's track record for making handouts to Big Pharma his top priority in dealing with prescription drugs. Then take a look at this exchange from Tuesday's question period on the need for a national pharmacare program:

Ms. Judy Wasylycia-Leis (Winnipeg North, NDP):
Mr. Speaker, we have reasonable recommendations from the Competition Bureau and from the pharmacists of the country, yet when it comes to helping families pay less for their drugs, the government is going in the wrong direction. There are some very reasonable things it could do.

It could start with catastrophic drug coverage for all families, move on a national pharmaceutical strategy, help the provinces and territories coordinate bulk buying, and stop extended patents on brand name drugs. Why is the government ignoring these reasonable ways to help Canadians save money on the drugs they need but cannot afford?

Hon. Tony Clement (Minister of Health and Minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario, CPC):
As the hon. member well knows, Mr. Speaker, first and foremost these are issues that are of the provincial and territorial governments, but I would say to the hon. member that the federal government can be part of the solution. Typically for the NDP, its only solution is to tax Canadians more, spend more of their hard-earned money and not work on the innovative solutions that are there, in place, and can be done.

We are for innovation. We are for better health care. We are not for wasting the taxpayers' money.

As best I can tell, that makes Clement's position roughly the following:

Inflating prescription drug costs by gratuitously extending patents isn't "wasting the taxpayers' money".

Refusing to coordinate drug purchases to drive down bulk prices isn't "wasting the taxpayers' money".

Encouraging provinces to push the use of more expensive brand-name drugs to punish the generic drug industry isn't "wasting the taxpayers' money".

But actually making prescription drugs more affordable to Canadians? Now there's the kind of waste Canada can't afford.