OTTAWA– The Auditor General’s latest report confirms that the Conservative government has failed to monitor the safety of prescription drugs and ensure proper maintenance of our military equipment, and that this is putting Canadians at risk, said Liberals today.

“It is taking the Harper government years to let healthcare providers and the public know of safety risks involving prescription drugs,” said Liberal Health Critic Hedy Fry. “Furthermore, the government has broken its promise to increase transparency in the drug approval process. These shortcomings are placing the health and wellbeing of Canadians in serious danger.”

In his fall 2011 report, tabled in the House of Commons today, Interim Auditor General John Wiersema, reviewed the government’s regulatory process for prescription medications and found that Health Canada has not fulfilled most of its key responsibilities related to the safety of pharmaceutical drugs.

In addition, he evaluated the maintenance and repairing of military equipment and found that there too, the government had failed to provide the necessary resources to ensure the operational readiness of our Forces.

“The government’s failure to allocate the necessary funds for the maintenance of our current and future equipment will jeopardize the ability of our men and women in uniform to protect themselves and Canadians at home and abroad,” said Liberal Defence Critic John McKay. “It is irresponsible to purchase equipment without accounting for the lifetime cost of its maintenance. How will the Conservatives pay for the future costly maintenance of the F-35s if they are already struggling with the current maintenance costs?”

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To watch Dr. Fry question the Minister of Health on the AG report, click here: http://youtu.be/yyAllqnhU3s (Question Period, November 21, 2011)

To watch Dr. Fry challenge the Minister of Health on drug shortages in Canada, click here: http://youtu.be/l6YcadWHQQs (Question Period, November 22, 2011)