Ottawa slammed over drug secrecy
Re Ottawa keeps drug reviews under wraps, April 12
The Canadian public is once again being “stonewalled” by the Harper government. Stephen Harper runs this government like a dictatorship. His ministers are muzzled until he approves of what statements they are allowed to make to the media. He arbitrarily releases information only when he feels like doing so, not when the public has a genuine need to know the details of situations, such as rail safety measures put in place after the disaster in Quebec, and now the federal drug reviews of 151 various medications. According to Dr. David Juurlink from Sunnybrook Hospital, “These drugs harm people, and, in some instances, they kill people. Frankly, shame on (Ottawa) for even contemplating not publishing them.” The doctor doesn’t realize that in Ottawa there is no shame, only secrecy. Why all of this secrecy when Ottawa has supposedly made a commitment to being more transparent? This government is as “transparent” as the heavily tinted windows in a motor vehicle. Warren Dalton, Scarborough Drugs that have been developed under the sole funding of the private sector may, indeed, legitimize claims to exclusive rights to such information. Where the public has funded the research and development of pharmaceuticals, however, the public has a right to the results of such research. Canadian taxpayers have contributed billions of dollars, under a multitude of programs, to the development of pharmaceuticals. We seem to have forgotten Harper’s Economic Action Plan and the Canada Foundation for Innovation, which funnelled hundreds of millions of dollars to the research and development of pharmaceuticals in the year 2009 alone. If you follow the money, you’ll discover that the public has just as many proprietary rights to the much-guarded research.
Those who wish to have exclusive rights to research results, data, analyses, outcomes or reports should also ensure their exclusive funding of such research activity rather than looking to the public purse for support. Until then, we have a right to know exactly what our money has produced. Stella Kargiannakis, Toronto The reason Ottawa keeps drug reviews under wraps is the same reason Transport Canada keeps under wraps the movement of toxic materials through highly populated areas.
The “Conservative corporate party” in Ottawa is not about to bite the hand that feeds it. Ask yourself: Who is damaged by disclosure? Nicholas Kostiak, Tottenham