JUST A SHORT RANT TODAY. Why has
Canada, as of May 10/21 refused to support the IP (Intellectual Property) waiver
on Covid-19 medicines and vaccines? On May 5/21, the United States indicated it
will allow waivers of IP protections so that low-income countries can both
purchase and produce generic versions of the life-saving drugs. The major
pharmaceutical companies (at least temporarily) will lose their patent
protections on the various coronavirus medicines they now produce if
negotiations at the WTO (World Trade Organization) favour this initiative.
One question, and pardon my French:
Why the fuck should we have to wait for bureaucrats at the WTO to take their
time coming to a “consensus decision” (whatever that means) on global patent
protections for these medications?
I’m frankly ashamed of Canada’s laggardly
response to this issue and its role, along with other hold-out nations (the
European Union, Japan, Great Britain, Brazil and some others, including the
U.S. until last week), in slowing down a decision on this matter. Canada’s Trade
Minister said recently that Canada “looks forward to finding solutions to
ensure a just and speedy global recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.” Prime
Minister Trudeau has thus far remained non-committal around waiving IP rights. Blahblahblah…
And another point: I wonder how
long these 'negotiations' will take at the WTO? Let’s see at the end of the day
if IP patent protections are indeed lifted, or will the rich countries use the excuse
of WTO intransigence for standing in the way of making the right choice?
And finally, it seems Canada, as
usual, waits to decide until the Americans make their decision, then
like a good toady, follows the elephant’s lead.
Cheers, Jake.
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