In five days, Parliament will decide if Canada joins the fight for affordable medicine. A bill is up for final vote that could provide life saving drugs for people suffering from AIDS, malaria, TB and other treatable illnesses. But some MPs, bowing to big pharma, are trying to kill the bill.
Right now, Canada’s Access to Medicines Regime (CAMR) doesn’t work. The only company that tried to send affordable generic drugs to Africa had to wade through four years of government red tape to send enough AIDS drugs for only a few thousand people. The new bill before Parliament would end this logjam — so that people in developing countries receive life-saving drugs.
In January, when the Conservatives tried to destroy this bill on a technicality, thousands of us stood up for access to medicine and we won! Now the final vote is just five days away and forces in Parliament are again opposing this life saving measure. Sign the petition and join a national call for access to medicines. We will deliver our message in a major press conference on Parliament Hill on Wednesday, March 9 – when Bill C-393 comes up for a final vote:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/medicine_for_all/?vl
Canada has a chance to become a world leader in the production of affordable medication for the world’s poor. But big pharma is out to protect their patents on necessary drugs at all costs. Their lobbyists have been working around the clock to defeat the new bill to fix CAMR, even with the urgent need for affordable medicine in poor countries.
We can beat the big pharma lobby.
A national call, right now, could sway the votes we need to pass Bill C-393 and create a new access to medicines bill that actually works.
Just last month, over 30,000 of us stood up for Parliament’s right to vote on the access to medicines bill. The Conservatives caved, promising to support a change in sponsorship and let the bill live. Now the fight for affordable medicine needs our help again.
Click below to sign the petition and forward to your friends:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/medicine_for_all/?vl
We know that our movement has power – we have already defeated the big pharma lobby once. Now we can again call for the kind of Canada that stands up for vulnerable people around the world.
With hope,
Emma, Ricken, Laryn and the rest of the Avaaz team.Sources:
Africa’s hope: Save AIDS bill (Toronto Star):
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/article/930128–africa-s-hope-save-aids-drugs-billHumanitarian aid bill will go to vote in House of Commons(Global News):
http://www.globalnews.ca/story.html?id=4220057NDP medicine bill has K’naan, Atwood singing same tune (Globe & Mail):
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ndp-medicine-bill-has-knaan-atwood-singing-same-tune/article1777112/
Support the Avaaz community!We’re entirely funded by donations and receive no money from governments or corporations. Our dedicated team ensures even the smallest contributions go a long way — donate here.
Avaaz.org is a 7-million-person global campaign network that works to ensure that the views and values of the world’s people shape global decision-making. (“Avaaz” means “voice” or “song” in many languages.) Avaaz members live in every nation of the world; our team is spread across 13 countries on 4 continents and operates in 14 languages. Learn about some of Avaaz’s biggest campaigns here, or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.To contact Avaaz, write to us at www.avaaz.org/en/contact or call us at +1-888-922-8229 (US).
Avaaz – Canada's killer red tape
March 4, 2011 by
