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<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font
size=6 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:
24.0pt;color:black'>Comment</span></font><span lang=EN-CA><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font
size=7 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:
36.0pt;color:black'>How can Conservative senators look at themselves in the
mirror?</span></font><span lang=EN-CA><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font
size=7 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:
36.0pt;color:black'><br>
</span></font><font size=6 color=black><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:24.0pt;
color:black'>Gerald Caplan<br>
</span></font><font size=5 color=black><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:18.0pt;
color:black'>Globe and Mail Update<br>
Published Friday, Apr. 01, 2011 3:45PM EDT<br>
Last updated Friday, Apr. 01, 2011 3:51PM EDT</span></font><span lang=EN-CA><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font
size=5 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:
18.0pt;color:black'><br>
</span></font><font size=6 color=black><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:24.0pt;
color:black'>Stephen Harper ended Parliament in typical style. He had the
trained seals he's appointed to the unelected Senate (a body he doesn't believe
in) sabotage the clear will of the democratically elected House of Commons with
consequences that will cost the lives of "thousands, maybe millions, of
poor people" in <st1:place w:st="on">Africa</st1:place> and elsewhere.</span></font><span
lang=EN-CA><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font
size=6 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:
24.0pt;color:black'><br>
The words are those of an outraged James Orbinski, a renowned doctor and
Canadian expert in international health. The issue is Bill C-393, passed by a large
majority in the House to provide inexpensive Canadian-made generic drugs for
people in poor countries dying of easily treatable diseases such as AIDS,
malaria and tuberculosis.</span></font><span lang=EN-CA><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font
size=6 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:
24.0pt;color:black'><br>
The role of the Conservative majority in the Senate was to deliberately stall
passage of the bill ensuring it died once the election was called. The
instructions came from the Supreme Puppetmaster, Stephen Harper, speaking
through one of his most reliable dummies, Industry Minister Tony Clement. The
message from Mr. Clement cemented the reputation he warmly earned during the
long-form census fiasco. As Dr. Orbinski noted, Mr. Clement's case to the
Senate's Conservative majority for not supporting C-393 was based on
"distortions, deceptions, lies and scare-mongering." Par for the
course, in other words.</span></font><span lang=EN-CA><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font
size=6 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:
24.0pt;color:black'><br>
Let me readily acknowledge that for my entire life I've believed the Senate, a
wholly undemocratic 19th century institution, should be abolished and I have
never understood how anyone could accept an appointment to it. But I've always
seen how appealing it is. After all, you're suddenly handed on a platter one of
the great gigs this country offers - a fancy title, instant status, a minimum
$123,000 a year plus expense accounts, air travel, pension and optional
attendance. Or a high-profile forum if you choose to use it, as a few admirable
senators do.</span></font><span lang=EN-CA><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font
size=6 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:
24.0pt;color:black'><br>
But to whom are senators responsible, if anyone? How do they decide what
positions to support or oppose? They're appointed by the Prime Minister personally
and usually carry his party affiliation but they supposedly serve the country,
or so it's claimed. Do they show their eternal gratitude to this one man, which
would make them simple hacks, or have they a higher duty to the public good?
This is a genuine choice, and Bill C-393 gave us the pathetic answer when a
majority of senators chose to slavishly follow the party line. All were
Conservatives, no fewer than 35 of them appointed by Stephen Harper in
violation of every word he ever uttered about the illegitimacy of an appointed
Senate. But that was before he became PM.</span></font><span lang=EN-CA><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font
size=6 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:
24.0pt;color:black'><br>
There's hypocrisy upon hypocrisy piling up here. Last November, for the first
time in 70 years, this same Conservative-dominated Senate, without a hearing or
debate, killed a climate-change bill that had been passed by a majority of
elected MPs in the House of Commons. It was a bill Stephen Harper hated - he's
still mostly a global warming denier - and it was at his command that his
senators transgressed against democracy, accountability, common sense and the
future of our children all at the same time. Marjory LeBreton, Mr. Harper's
Senate Leader, airily dismissed the legislation as "a coalition
bill," some kind of conspiracy, apparently, of Liberals, socialists and
separatists.</span></font><span lang=EN-CA><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font
size=6 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:
24.0pt;color:black'><br>
Killing C-393 last week was a second example of the extraordinary harm a
majority of Conservative senators have been ready aye ready to inflict at the
behest of their master. (Some Conservatives stayed away from the chamber,
apparently to avoid voting with the majority but not prepared to vote against
them, and one, Nancy Ruth, honourably spoke in favor of the bill.) Have no
doubt the majority knew exactly what they were doing and what the stakes were.</span></font><span
lang=EN-CA><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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size=6 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:
24.0pt;color:black'><br>
<st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Canada</st1:place></st1:country-region>'s
Access to Medicines Regime was introduced nearly seven year ago as a proud
effort to help people dying of preventable diseases in poor countries. It is <st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Canada</st1:place></st1:country-region>'s shame
that ever since, under pressure from the giant pharmaceutical companies, a
succession of Liberal and Conservative governments have sabotaged this project.
In the entire period, only two shipments of drugs have been dispatched to <st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Rwanda</st1:place></st1:country-region>. Bill
C-393 was the latest futile attempt to make CAMR work. Now it too has been
sabotaged.</span></font><span lang=EN-CA><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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size=6 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:
24.0pt;color:black'><br>
Bill C-393 would have fixed the regime by cutting the red tape that has
undermined its very purpose - enabling Canadian generic drug manufacturers to
provide inexpensive drugs to poor countries, where brand-name drugs are often
unaffordable. In the House, besides all members of Ms. LeBreton's bogeyman
coalition, 26 Conservative MPs also supported the bill. It was endorsed
enthusiastically by an overwhelming majority of medical and legal experts,
humanitarian activists, faith leaders, AIDS and international development
organizations across the country and health activists in developing countries.</span></font><span
lang=EN-CA><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font
size=6 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:
24.0pt;color:black'><br>
Dozens of prominent Canadians immersed in international health issues urged
passage, as did more than 70,000 other Canadians who took the time to sign a
petition or to email and call their MPs and senators. The national advocacy
committee of the Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign - 10,000 Canadian
grannies, committed to working with their African counterparts, who had made
this bill their crusade - lobbied vigorously on its behalf; some were in the
Senate audience last week, heart-broken when the Conservatives assured its
death.</span></font><span lang=EN-CA><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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24.0pt;color:black'><br>
None of this mattered to the majority of Conservative senators. A more perfect
definition of Mr. Harper's contempt for Parliament, democracy, the world and
evidence-based policies would be hard to find.</span></font><span lang=EN-CA><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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size=6 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:
24.0pt;color:black'><br>
The Conservatives who have again sentenced so many Africans to a miserable
death should hang their heads in disgrace. They make a mockery of being called
"Honourable." There is no honour here. Yet I don't for a moment
expect them to feel the slightest embarrassment, shame or, indeed, dishonour.
Conservatives don't do remorse (except for wrongs committed by earlier
governments against potential ethnic supporters). But they need to know how
many of their fellow Canadians are deeply ashamed of them, and while this is
one of the many vital issues that won't be part of the election campaign, they
should understand how many voters will remember their role not only on voting
day but long after.</span></font><span lang=EN-CA><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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size=6 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:
24.0pt;color:black'><br>
</span></font><font size=5 color=black><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:18.0pt;
color:black'>© 2011 The Globe and Mail Inc. All Rights Reserved.</span></font><span
lang=EN-CA><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<pre><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:10.0pt'>-- <o:p></o:p></span></font></pre>
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Checked by AVG - <a href="http://www.avg.com" target="_blank">www.avg.com</a><br>
Version: 10.0.1209 / Virus Database: 1500/3548 - Release Date: 04/03/11<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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