Defending Canadian Healthcare
Published on October 2, 2009
This week while testifying before the US Senate special committee on aging, MP Dr. Carolyn Bennett rose to the defence of the Canadian healthcare system after Republican Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee charged that Canada is “parasitic” in its relationship with the US. While Senator Corker argued that Canada benefits from low-cost prescription pharmaceuticals after US companies do “all the innovation,” Dr. Bennett defended Canada’s health care system. In question period yesterday, Stephen Harper wouldn’t denounce Senator Corker’s comments.Here’s how Dr. Bennett described the exchange in an interview on CTV’s Canada AM yesterday:
Well, I have to admit I was pretty surprised. I don't think I understood he really used the word parasite at the beginning and then he went on to sort of say living off of us which made it quite clear that that's what he meant and so I – I explained to him I think politely that – that the pharmaceutical industry is run by multinational corporations and that they are publicly traded. They have investors and researchers around the world and it isn't actually an issue of the United States of America. It's an issue of drug companies and their choices. And the fact that we have price controls is one of the seven – seven points that I was making and why our system is cheaper and more – and more effective.
If you’d like to watch the original exchange with Bob Corker, click here (you’ll have to cycle through to find the actual exchange). To watch Dr. Bennett’s interview with CTV, click hereclick here.