Emails released to the House of Commons committee on health suggest some on the regulator's board believed the crisis that followed the minister's letter threatened the very survival of the agency.
OTTAWA — Internal emails from the agency tasked with regulating the price of patented drugs in Canada shows discord and division was sparked by a letter from the health minister, culminating in an indefinite pause on major drug-price reforms and several resignations.
Ten days later, Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos wrote to the acting chair and suggested the process be paused to give drug companies, patient groups, provincial ministers and himself more time to understand the changes. While the acting chair of the review board wanted to acquiesce to Duclos's request and meet with the pharmaceutical lobby group before the consultation period ended, the rest of the board and the executive director, Douglas Clark, protested. "In fact, we should be trying to respectfully communicate that what he is 'requesting' is highly problematic," he said in an email on Nov. 30.
Bourassa Forcier's response to Duclos didn't include any commitment to pause the consultation period, but she did tell the deputy Health minister that she was open to the idea and would discuss it with the board. "If the minister decides to get rid of the PMPRB we will not achieve our objectives," she wrote to the board.
She later told the health committee she did not feel pressured by Duclos’s letter and agreed the agency should take more time to consult on the proposed change.
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