Montreal, June 23, 2021 – Rapidly rising prices for residential real estate in Canada, whether in Montreal, Toronto, or Vancouver, has very tangible consequences for the middle class. In Vancouver, the average price of a detached house is now $1.7 million, and the average price across all home types is over a million dollars in Toronto. Meanwhile, potential buyers in Montreal are also faced with an overheated sector characterized by bidding wars. What explains this?

The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us once again the importance of quickly developing and approving the use of innovative drugs. This publication has two recommendations to help ensure that Canadians have quicker access to medications.

New drugs and vaccines likely to increase life expectancy, quality of life and save money, so we should reduce approval delays as much as possible.

Undercutting the profits of drug companies is no way to reward them for their monumental contribution to our well-being.

Governments and charities should purchase vaccines and either donate them or sell them at discounted prices to poorer countries.

We should use the RAMQ’s exhaustive data to encourage different pharmaceutical companies to set up shop in Quebec, or to sign agreements like Israel’s.

As the world watches massive national vaccination campaigns unfold, the direct positive impacts of pharmaceutical innovation on the health and well-being of the population could not be clearer.

Alors que les campagnes de vaccination nationales battent leur plein, les effets positifs de l’innovation pharmaceutique sur la santé et le bien-être de la population ne peuvent être plus clairs.

Nous devrions utiliser les données exhaustives de la RAMQ pour inciter différentes entreprises pharmaceutiques à venir s’établir au Québec ou pour conclure des ententes à l’israélienne.

Reducing taxes and regulatory burdens in education would make it more attractive for immigrants to learn French.