Die-in Demonstration - Bill C393
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0:01 - 0:08[HIGH ENERGY DANCE MUSIC...]
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0:14 - 0:17Good afternoon. LaLi Mohamed here from Deviant Productions
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0:17 - 0:20where we join you today in one of the busiest intersections in Toronto,
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0:20 - 0:22Dundas Square.
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0:23 - 0:29[HIGH ENERGY DANCE MUSIC...]
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0:36 - 0:42Community members and a coalition of students gathered today to protest Canada's ongoing failure
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0:42 - 0:45to increase accessibility to HIV medicine.
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0:46 - 0:48A "die in" is taking place
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0:48 - 0:50where members hope to shed light
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0:50 - 0:56not only on the many lives lost because of lack of accessibility to this medicine,
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0:56 - 1:01but also to push for motion bill 393 to pass.
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1:02 - 1:07Uh, about two years ago, a bill called Bill c393 was passed
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1:07 - 1:09as a private members bill in parliament,
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1:09 - 1:11and we really want to ensure that it survives,
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1:11 - 1:15that it is amended, and that it includes a one license solution.
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1:15 - 1:18Some of you may know that the key part of this bill
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1:18 - 1:22is to make it easier to get low cost generic drugs to developing countries.
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1:22 - 1:27And that key part was actually taken out by a parliamentary committee a couple of weeks ago.
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1:27 - 1:30So we need to now keep pressure on our MPs to get it put back in the bill
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1:30 - 1:32and then get the bill passed.
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1:32 - 1:35We're all going to rush to the centre and we're gonna drop down.
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1:35 - 1:39We're gonna stay in that position until we get the signal to get back up,
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1:39 - 1:43we move back to our corners and then we'll repeat this again when the next scramble is on.
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1:44 - 1:50[HIGH ENERGY DANCE MUSIC...]
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2:24 - 2:50[CHANTING: WHAT DO WE WANT? ACCESS! WHEN DO WE WANT IT? NOW!...]
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2:50 - 2:56We're now with Richard Elliot, the Executive Director of the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network.
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2:56 - 2:58Um, Richard, what are we doing here tonight?
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2:58 - 3:00We've been "dying in" in the middle of this intersection
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3:00 - 3:04to call attention to the fact that parliament needs to take action on a bill that's in front of it
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3:04 - 3:07that will help get access to more affordable drugs for people with AIDS
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3:07 - 3:10and other health problems in developing countries.
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3:10 - 3:13There seemed to be a lot of Canadian support in passing the bill,
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3:13 - 3:15why do you think there is resistance from the government?
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3:15 - 3:16[Tim McCaskell, AIDS Action Now! member]
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3:16 - 3:20I think the government, uh, is in the pocket of the brand name pharmaceutical industry
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3:20 - 3:21that doesn't want this passed
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3:21 - 3:24because it gives them more leverage to sell their higher proced drugs.
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3:24 - 3:25[Jolene Cushman, Die-in organizer]
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3:25 - 3:28There's been a lot of resistance about companies being able to reduce
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3:28 - 3:30to make more money, um,
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3:30 - 3:32there have been arguments about there not being enough infrastructure,
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3:32 - 3:35or, that there, they think there's other systemic factors that are gonna get in the way.
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3:35 - 3:37But honestly?
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3:37 - 3:40Being able to produce and export these drugs will make a difference.
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3:40 - 3:42What's the Canadian consciousness right now on the bill?
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3:42 - 3:44Like, do people want to support it?
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3:44 - 3:46Or do they want to deny it?
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3:46 - 3:48Well, about a year ago actually, there was a national poll done
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3:48 - 3:52by a number of organizations that work on global health and development issues,
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3:52 - 3:55and they found that 80% of Canadians support parliament taking action.
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3:56 - 4:00What does this mean, uh, for the lives of people infected and affected by HIV/AIDS?
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4:00 - 4:06Well, uh, it's proven that anti retrovirals make a huge difference, um,
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4:06 - 4:11there's a huge incidence of childhood infection of HIV and AIDS,
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4:11 - 4:15and 50% of those children will die by the age of 2,
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4:15 - 4:19but anti-retroviral medications can save lives of 75% of those children.
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4:19 - 4:23From today until, um, this week or next week when the bill is passed,
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4:23 - 4:26what can, sort of, Torontonians and Canadians do?
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4:26 - 4:30I think you should be phoning your, uh, federal members of parliament,
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4:30 - 4:31telling them you back this bill,
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4:31 - 4:33and telling them to, uh, do everything they can
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4:33 - 4:37to make sure that the, uh, bill is amended the way that it needs to be done
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4:37 - 4:39to make it effective, and that it gets passed.
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4:39 -[HIGH ENERGY DANCE MUSIC...]
- Title:
- Die-in Demonstration - Bill C393
- Description:
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On December 13, 2010 activists gathered in Toronto to hold a die-in in support of Bill C393. The bill hopes to ensure life-saving medicines reach those in developing countries who need them the most. The Bill will come before Parliament again on January 31st.
To support the bill, visit: www.letparliamentvote.ca
Deviant Productions Copyrights 2011.
- Video Language:
- English
- Duration:
- 05:00
Radical Access Mapping Project edited English subtitles for Die-in Demonstration - Bill C393 |