GranAfrica

Elora, Ontario, Monday May 17 2010

Hot on the heels of my visit to Africa, I was delighted to hear of a meeting between  MP Michael Chong and a passionate and eloquent group of grandmothers in Elora Legion on Monday.   Organised by Grandmothers of the Grand, who support the work of African grandmothers through the Stephen Lewis Foundation, the question and answer session had one single purpose – to encourage Mr Chong, as chair of the committee on Industry, Trade and Commerce, to speed progress of Bill C-393 through committee and back to parliament for approval with minimum delay.  This crucial piece of legislation, the Canadian Access to Medicines Regime, or CAMR for short, will release lifesaving generic anti-retroviral drugs for delivery to Africa.

Sharon Ogden laid out the ground rules for the group of 68 grandmothers and grandothers, noting how urgent it is that the bill be passed with no significant changes.  She drew the connection between CAMR and Prime Minister Harper’s new focus on maternal and child health, pointing out that the leading cause of death in women of reproductive age in Africa is HIV/AIDS.  Before passing to Mr Chong, she fired off a battery of questions: how much time will the committee take?  How will speakers be selected?  Will Grandmothers be invited to speak?  How will the revised Bill be presented to parliament?

Laughing at the challenge ahead of him, Mr Chong assured the crowd that the Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign would certainly be invited to present their point of view, as would NGOs, pharmaceutical and generic drug companies.  Many voiced concerns that pharmaceutical companies still claim that the Bill infringes WTO trade rules, when lawyers unequivocally agree it conforms in every way.   To these and other similar questions, Mr. Chong replied, “If you want the Bill to succeed, you must address the concerns of the pharmaceutical industry, and not simply attack them.”

Eventually, Ms Ogden stepped in.  “Mr. Chong,” she said in a clear calm voice, “we elected you to represent us in this riding.  As Minister of Industry, Trade and Commerce, why do YOU not step in, discuss the issue with the pharmaceuticals and unmask their lies?”  Promising that his committee will listen to all sides, Mr. Chong agreed that as a Canadian he feels a moral responsibility, but that the process takes time. 

“We are dithering as people are dying,” lamented one grandmother.  My contribution was to show Mr. Chong a photo of a grandmother I had met in South Africa, who had lost her children to HIV/AIDS.  “Take this grandmother with you to committee,” I asked, “and remember the face of the struggle against AIDS – a struggle we can so easily help by passing Bill C-393.”