Bill S-232 explained in plain English
An Act to amend the Patent Act (drugs for international humanitarian purposes) and to make a consequential amendment to another Act
Federal Parliament bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.
At a glance
Official Parliament of Canada snapshot for 40th Parliament, 2nd Session. MP vote breakdowns appear when the House of Commons publishes a recorded division export for that bill. Senate and House stage details include official debate/sitting links when LEGISinfo publishes them.
Our plain-language take, written for civic education.
Source: By PoliticalData.ca
Bill S-232 amends the Patent Act and Food and Drugs Act to allow Canadian manufacturers to produce and export patented drugs to developing countries facing public health emergencies without the patent holder's permission, provided certain conditions are met.
Bill S-232 amends the Patent Act and the Food and Drugs Act to make it easier for Canadian manufacturers to produce and export certain pharmaceutical drugs to developing and least-developed countries facing serious public health crises, especially those caused by HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and other epidemics. Currently, manufacturing patented drugs without a patent holder's permission is illegal in Canada. This bill creates a system where authorized Canadian manufacturers can legally make patented drugs specifically for export to eligible countries, without the patent holder's consent. Manufacturers must obtain authorization from the Patent Commissioner and pay prescribed royalties to patent holders. The eligible countries are those recognized by the United Nations as least-developed or listed by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) as eligible for official development assistance. The bill creates a Schedule that lists all eligible countries. Before exporting, manufacturers must disclose product information on a website, including the drug name, destination country, and distinguishing features. They must also comply with export licensing requirements. Products sold under this program cannot be re-exported to other countries without permission, and some restrictions apply to ensure products are not used for commercial purposes in certain countries. The bill also amends the Food and Drugs Act to exempt drugs made under this authorization from some normal domestic manufacturing requirements, though they must still meet safety standards acceptable to the importing country's regulatory authority or the World Health Organization. The law includes a requirement for the Minister to review the program two years after it comes into force and report results to Parliament.
- This draft was normalized from a partial local-model response and must be reviewed before publication.
Substantially modified to create a new authorization system allowing Canadian manufacturers to produce and export patented drugs to eligible developing countries without patent holder consent, subject to royalty payments and export restrictions. Sections 21.01 to 21.2 are replaced or amended to implement this system.
Source: Sections 21.01-21.2
Modified to exempt drugs manufactured under the Patent Act authorization system from normal domestic drug approval requirements (Part 1), but establishes alternative approval pathways that must be satisfied before export, ensuring products meet acceptable safety standards.
Source: Section 37(2) and new section 38
Generated using AI from official bill text. Not legal advice. It is written by PoliticalData.ca for civic education, automatically checked and spot-reviewed before publishing.
Official textParliamentary Process
Bill S-232, an act to amend the Patent Act for international humanitarian drug purposes, completed its first reading in the Senate on March 31, 2009.
This record shows that Bill S-232, concerning amendments to the Patent Act for international humanitarian drug purposes, had its first reading in the Senate on March 31, 2009. The bill was later referred to a committee on June 16, 2009, and went through several stages of debate and committee review in the Senate.
During a Senate sitting on March 31, 2009, Bill S-232, an Act to amend the Patent Act (drugs for international humanitarian purposes), was introduced and read for the first time, along with several other procedural matters and debates.
On March 31, 2009, the Senate of Canada held a sitting that included the first reading of Bill S-232, an Act to amend the Patent Act concerning drugs for international humanitarian purposes. This artifact is a record of that sitting, detailing various proceedings including Senators' Statements on diverse topics, the tabling of several reports, and the introduction of several bills. The specific debate and discussion related to Bill S-232 itself is not detailed in this artifact, only its procedural introduction. Other matters discussed during the sitting included the Canadian Forces, the anniversary of Newfoundland and Labrador joining Canada, conservation efforts, hockey players, gender equality in Rwanda, Canada-Morocco relations, tabled reports from various commissions and the Auditor General, committee reports on bills, notices of inquiries on topics like CBC/Radio-Canada and bilingualism, and discussions on various other bills and inquiries.
The Senate completed its second reading stage for Bill S-232 on June 16, 2009, and referred the bill to a committee.
This record describes the Senate's second reading stage for Bill S-232, An Act to amend the Patent Act (drugs for international humanitarian purposes). This stage was completed on June 16, 2009, with the bill being referred to a committee for further study. The second reading debate included speeches from Senator Yoine Goldstein and Senator Stephen Greene.
During a Senate sitting on April 23, 2009, senators heard statements on various topics, presented committee reports, engaged in Question Period on diverse issues, and debated several bills, including Bill S-232 concerning international humanitarian drug access, which was adjourned for further debate.
On April 23, 2009, the Senate of Canada convened for a sitting that included Senator Statements, Routine Proceedings, Question Period, and Orders of the Day. The Senate heard statements on National Organ and Tissue Donor Awareness Week, the CanJet Flight 918 hostage taking, Canada-France relations, the Nova Scotia Economic Stimulus Plan, the late Maurice Druon, Fundy National Park, and Afghanistan. Routine Proceedings involved the presentation of various committee reports, including those from Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration; Transport and Communications; Foreign Affairs and International Trade; Scrutiny of Regulations; and Social Affairs, Science and Technology. Reports from the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association and the Inter-Parliamentary Union were also tabled. Petitions regarding the cessation of the commercial seal hunt were presented. During Question Period, senators raised issues including potential testimony at the Oliphant Commission, expenditures of the Prime Minister's Office, the Canadian Tourism Commission website, international obligations for military personnel, the International Olympic Committee's position on women's participation, the Atlantic Beef Products Inc. agreement, and the RCMP's Taser policy. A delayed answer to an oral question regarding the UN Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review was also tabled. Orders of the Day included debate on several bills at various stages, including the Customs Act, the Indian Oil and Gas Act, the Federal Sustainable Development Act and the Auditor General Act, Bill S-232 (An Act to amend the Patent Act), the National Philanthropy Day Bill, the Canada Elections Act, the Victims of Human Trafficking Protection Bill, and the Special Senate Committee on Aging's report. Debate on Bill S-232, concerning amendments to the Patent Act for drugs for international humanitarian purposes, was adjourned. The sitting concluded with a motion for adjournment.
During the Senate's second reading debate on Bill S-232, the sponsor explained the bill's aim to improve access to medicines for developing countries, after which the debate was adjourned.
On April 23, 2009, the Senate held its second reading debate for Bill S-232, an Act to amend the Patent Act concerning drugs for international humanitarian purposes. Senator Yoine Goldstein, the sponsor of the bill, delivered a speech outlining the bill's objectives and proposed changes. The debate on Bill S-232 was adjourned at the end of the sitting, meaning it was not concluded on this day and will be continued at a later time. The rest of the sitting included various other Senate business, such as tabling reports, questions from senators, and debates on other bills.
During a Senate sitting on May 14, 2009, debate occurred on Bill S-232, concerning access to medicines for humanitarian purposes, with a senator advocating for its passage due to the current law's ineffectiveness.
On May 14, 2009, the Senate convened for a sitting that included routine proceedings, question period, and the consideration of various bills and motions. The sitting included a debate on Bill S-232, "An Act to amend the Patent Act (drugs for international humanitarian purposes) and to make a consequential amendment to another Act," which aims to simplify the process for exporting affordable generic medicines to developing countries. Senator Sharon Carstairs spoke in favour of the bill, highlighting the ineffectiveness of the current legislation and the urgent need for reform to address the lack of access to essential medicines in developing nations. The debate on Bill S-232 was adjourned.
During a Senate sitting on June 16, 2009, various procedural matters were addressed, including the debate at second reading of Bill S-232, which was subsequently referred to committee.
The Senate met on June 16, 2009. The sitting included tributes, statements by senators on various topics including World Elder Abuse Awareness Day and Senate reform, tabling of reports, first readings of bills, question period on issues like economic stimulus and H1N1, and debates and third readings of several bills. Notably, Bill S-232, concerning the Patent Act for drugs for international humanitarian purposes, was debated at second reading and referred to committee.
This Senate debate on June 16, 2009, included discussions on multiple bills and procedural matters, highlighted by a question of privilege regarding a government website and extensive debate on several legislative items.
This document summarizes a Senate debate on June 16, 2009, covering various topics including a tribute to a fallen soldier, discussions on elder abuse, assisted suicide, Senate reform, and the H1N1 virus. It also details procedural matters like tabling of reports and notices of motions. The debate includes significant discussions on Bill C-18 (RCMP Superannuation Act), Bill C-16 (Environmental Enforcement Act), Bill C-25 (Criminal Code - pre-sentencing custody credit), Bill C-15 (Controlled Drugs and Substances Act), Bill S-232 (Patent Act - drugs for international humanitarian purposes), Bill S-227 (Income Tax Act and Excise Tax Act - tax relief for Nunavik), and Bill S-202 (Canada Elections Act - repeal of fixed election dates). A notable procedural issue arose concerning a question of privilege related to a government website's representation of Senate proceedings.
Bill S-232 was being considered by a Senate committee between October and November 2009, but this stage was not yet completed.
This record details the procedural status of Bill S-232 in the Senate of Canada. The bill was referred to committee on June 16, 2009. The Senate Committee on Health considered the bill on several dates between October 8, 2009, and November 19, 2009. The stage 'Senate Consideration in committee' was not completed as of November 19, 2009. The record also notes speeches made during the bill's second reading on April 23, 2009, and lists a similar bill, C-393, which is at a different stage in the House of Commons.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Report stage yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Third reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for First reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Second reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Consideration in committee yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Report stage yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Third reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
Debate and sitting links point to official parliamentary sources when LEGISinfo publishes them. Any plain-language discussion summaries should be generated from those official texts and reviewed before public display.
Vote Summary
This bill is still active. We only show vote counts after the legislature publishes a recorded division.
No published representative vote breakdown
This bill is still moving through the process. When a recorded division is published, representative positions can be listed here.
Official sources
Status, sponsor, votes, and timeline on this page are drawn from these official legislative sources and public records. Each summary above is attributed to its own source.
How this data is sourced