Canada's Bill C-442 re LD Moves Forward

[RitaA]

http://canlyme.com/2014/12/10/bill-c-44 ... s-forward/

Bill C-442 is carried as is in Senate. Hear testimony in Canada’s Senate Committee on Bill C-442, An Act respecting a Federal Framework on Lyme Disease, as Bill moves forward.

Posted on December 10, 2014 by Canlyme
Bill C-442 is carried in the Senate:

Listen to testimony of ;

December 3rd, 2014

Elizabeth May, MP (begins after intro’s)

Jim Wilson, CanLyme (starts at 56:18 on time-bar)

Dr. William Bowie, AMMI, (starts at 1:03:55 on time-bar)

http://senparlvu.parl.gc.ca/Guide.aspx? ... ntid=14740#

December 10th, 2014,

Dr. Marc Oulette, CIHR, Dr. Stephen Sternthal, PHAC, Dr. Robbin Lindsay, NML Listen to audio here

http://senparlvu.parl.gc.ca/Guide.aspx? ... ntid=14740#

(To hear clause by clause vote scroll to 55:00 on the time-bar)

I believe the second link should be:

http://senparlvu.parl.gc.ca/Guide.aspx? ... ntid=15559


Alternatively, here's a CPAC link that will take you directly to a video recording of events on December 3, 2014:

http://www.cpac.ca/en/programs/in-commi ... s/35998245

In Committee from the Senate of Canada

Social Affairs, Science and Technology - December 3, 2014

Green Party Leader Elizabeth May presents her private member’s bill (C-442) to establish a federal framework on Lyme disease. The bill was first introduced in 2012 and aims to increase awareness and prevention of the disease. It would create a national surveillance system, as well as a national educational program. Senators also hear from Jim Wilson, president and founder of the Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation, and doctors William Bowie and Daniel Gregson, who are speaking on behalf of the Association of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Canada. (December 3, 2014)

I’m not sure how long it will take for the CPAC video recording of the December 10th committee meeting to become available.

Edited to add:

Senator Ogilvie is no slouch when it comes to science and innovation, as you’ll see from the following biography:

http://www.parl.gc.ca/SenatorsBio/senat ... language=E

The Honourable Kelvin K. Ogilvie, C.M., Ph.D., D.Sc., H.Col., F.C.I.C ., Senator, was (1993–2003) President and Vice-Chancellor of Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia where he led the development and implementation of the acclaimed Acadia Advantage Program which was recognized by, and incorporated into, the Permanent Collection of the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC in 1999. He is a leading expert on biotechnology, bioorganic chemistry and genetic engineering. His scientific accomplishments include the development of the “Gene Machine”, an automated process for the manufacture of DNA. He is the inventor of Ganciclovir, a drug used worldwide to fight infections that occur when one’s immune system is weakened. Both of these achievements were recognized in 2000 as "Milestones of Canadian Chemistry in the 20th Century" by the Canadian Society of Chemistry. He also developed a general method for the chemical synthesis of large RNA molecules, demonstrated by the first total chemical synthesis or a functional Transfer RNA (tRNA) molecule, which is still the basis for RNA synthesis worldwide.

[snip]

Dr. Ogilvie was inducted into the Canadian Science and Engineering Hall of Fame in Ottawa in November, 2011 and received the Biomedical Science Ambassador Award in May 2012 in Ottawa awarded by Partners in Research. In November 2013 (Montreal) Senator Ogilvie received the Rx&D Health Research Foundation Medal of Honour for his outstanding contributions to health sciences and public health innovation.

[RitaA]

I just read the following on a non-Lyme disease Facebook page:

Elizabeth May's Lyme Disease Legislation Expected to Move to Third Reading in Senate Tomorrow

OTTAWA – The Senate is expected to take up Elizabeth May's Private Member's Bill C-442, the Federal Framework on Lyme Disease Act, at third reading tomorrow.

The Senate Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology unanimously referred the unamended bill to the Senate on December 10.

Third reading is the final stage of a bill's passage through the Senate. If the bill passes third reading, it will await Royal Assent, at which point it will become law.

Date: Friday, December 12, 2014
Time: Between 9:00 AM and 1:00 PM EST
Location: Senate, Ottawa ON


Please note that the meeting is subject to change. Further details will be provided as they become available.

To access a live audio stream of the Senate debate, please visit:

http://senparlvu.parl.gc.ca/guide.aspx?Language=E

Edited to add:

I was mistaken about being about to watch proceedings on CPAC on Friday, December 12th.

[RitaA]

Breaking news:

http://www.greenparty.ca/en/media-relea ... me-disease

Senate Unanimously Passes Elizabeth May’s Federal Framework on Lyme Disease Act

December 12, 2014

“This victory belongs to all Canadians coping with Lyme disease and their loved ones. This bill never would have been passed into law without their advocacy and willingness to tell their stories. ”

(OTTAWA) - Elizabeth May’s Private Member’s Bill, C-442, the Federal Framework on Lyme Disease Act was passed unanimously at third reading by the Senate the morning of Friday, December 12. The bill now awaits Royal Assent by the Governor General for it to become law.

"I am so thankful to my colleagues in the Senate, especially the bill’s sponsor Senator Janis Johnson, for passing C-442,” said Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party of Canada and MP for Saanich-Gulf Islands. “This victory belongs to all Canadians coping with Lyme disease and their loved ones. This bill never would have been passed into law without their advocacy and willingness to tell their stories."

First introduced in June 2012, Bill C-442 was passed unanimously with multi-partisan support in the House of Commons in June 2014. It will establish a framework for collaboration between the federal, provincial and territorial Health Ministers, representatives of the medical community, and patients’ groups to promote greater awareness and prevention of Lyme disease, to address the challenges of timely diagnosis and treatment, and to push for further research.

"The hard work of Minister of Health, Rona Ambrose and the entire Lyme community were instrumental in making this bill a reality. I am also grateful to Senator Kelvin Ogilvie, Chair of the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology, who helped to move C-442 through the committee process, after it was delayed by the shooting on October 22," added Ms. May.

"C-442 is now the first piece of Green Party legislation in Canadian history,” stated Bruce Hyer, Deputy Leader of the Green Party of Canada and MP for Thunder Bay – Superior North. “I am proud of the way Elizabeth was able to work across party lines to pass the first Green Party bill. The passage of this bill will make such a tangible difference for those dealing with Lyme disease."

Although it is rare for private member’s bills to be passed through both the House and Senate, Bill C-442 has received multi-partisan support from Senators and Members of Parliament, in addition to the Canadian Medical Association, the College of Family Physicians of Canada, and the Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation.

"Now that the bill has passed, I look forward to working with all relevant interest groups and governments, under the guidance of Minister Ambrose, for the national conference to develop the federal framework, as detailed in the bill, to deal with this dreadful illness," concluded Elizabeth May.

[ChronicLyme19]

Wonderful news! I hope this brings progress.