The review of Bill C-91: Pharmaceutical policy development under a majority liberal government

This thesis tells the story of the Liberal government's 1997 review of Bill C-91, a bill to enact the Patent Act Amendment Act, 1992. Bill C-91 included provisions for eliminating compulsory licensing of pharmaceuticals and creating regulations---the Linkage Regulations---that delayed the entry of generic drugs onto the market. Both of these developments were harmful to the generic industry while beneficial to the brand name industry. The general focus of the review was the extent to which the current pharmaceutical policy should be modified, if at all. This thesis examines factors influencing the Liberal government's decision-making process, strategies employed by stakeholders to the review and competition between government branches with competing policy interests. It argues that the Liberal government used its powers to manage the review to create conditions which allowed it to maintain the current policy.