I commend the Final Report of the Advisory Council on the Implementation of National Pharmacare, I hopes its recommendations will be implemented, ideally in a time frame shorter than the report envisions. I continue to have concerns over pharmaceutical pricing for Canadians, including the lack of progress on reform of the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board (PMPRB). The PMPRB was created in 1987 to protect consumers and make sure pharmaceutical companies don’t use monopolies to charge excessive prices. In May 2017, when I was Minister of Health, I announced consultations on a suite of regulatory changes that would help the PMPRB in its ability to protect consumers from high drug prices. You can watch my speech from that announcement by clicking here.

These were to be the first substantial changes to the regulations in over 20 years. It included a proposal to change the list of countries to which we compare our medication prices. (By continuing to use the USA as a comparator country, we allow inappropriately high ceiling prices.) We also proposed that value for money should factor into determining a fair drug price. And we proposed a requirement to report rebates, discount and refunds to payers, in order to increase transparency and set a fairer price ceiling. I wanted those new regulations in place no later than the end of 2018. But unfortunately, this has not happened.

VIA Rail will be studying routes and stops for potential new passenger lines, some of which may go right through Markham-Stouffville. Currently there is no planned stop to pick up and drop off passengers in our community. Most importantly, I want to hear your perspective, so I can advocate for the best decision for our community.

We continue to accept a system in federal (and provincial) elections called first-past-the-post under which the makeup of the legislatures does not reflect the electoral wishes of the people. A political party can receive votes from less than half of Canadian voters and still gain a majority of seats in the House of Commons. This is fundamentally unfair and it means that many voices go unrepresented and therefore unheard. We should adapt ballots for elections such that voters can rank the options by order of preference. This should be accompanied by the complex but essential transition to a system of proportional representation. This would mean, for example, that if a party receives votes from 10% of Canadians, then they should have 10% of the seats in the House of Commons. I’m ready to use any platform possible to push for this change. Every Canadian needs to know that their voice will make a difference. We need to inspire more Canadians to get out on election day and exercise their right to vote.

In the workings of Parliament, there’s room for more collaboration and a grown-up discussion about how to structure the daily functions of the House of Commons in a more respectful, efficient manner. There is room for more responsibility and freedom in the hands of individual MPs. We should take steps to make Question Period a time of thoughtful debate and extemporaneous questions and answers driven by a genuine commitment to accountability.

MPs can and should be able to disagree with the government, even if it is their own party. It’s actually the obligation of a representative of the people to speak for a diversity of views. An MP’s loyalty should rest with his or her constituents and with the greater good of the country.