Hon. Art Eggleton:

Honourable senators, I realize that I am trying the patience of some of my Senate colleagues by getting up on this Nortel issue every day, but the end of the year is here, Christmas is almost here, and I cannot give up on these people.

I will read a statement from another Nortel employee. This is from Laurie Vowles from Ottawa:

I am bi-polar on the heavily depressed side and have been off work since January 1998. I have been hospitalized several times at the Royal Ottawa for mania. I also have had Hepatitis C for 33 years and am at the point where I now have cirrhosis of the liver. I just found out about it about 5 years ago, so my case is very serious since I've had it for so long. There is a likely possibility of getting liver cancer from this if not treated. I don't know what the treatment costs, I will have no medical coverage, and the treatment is almost worse than the disease, and some people have been known to kill themselves from the depression that comes with the treatment. Therefore, a psychiatrist is trying to help me recover from my depression with new medications so I won't be depressed, to begin with, and, therefore, a likely candidate for suicide.

After I get over my depression, the doctors plan to give me the interferon treatment, but how can I pay for it and the meds I need for my depression right now? This is very serious, PLEASE pass Bill S-216, I pray that you do. I have no idea what will happen to me if you don't. As well as others like me, who need this bill passed, what will happen to people like me in the future when this happens to them?

In today's Ottawa Citizen, there is an article entitled: "Nortel pensioners thrown to wolves." This is not on the social justice page but on the business page. The author expresses concern about this issue. He says that the bankers, bond fund managers and business lobbyists received good news when the government defeated the bill. He goes on to say:

But the Conservatives insisted they appreciate the difficult challenges of Nortel pensioners — the crocodile tears bathed Parliament Hill — and said they were working to get some cash into their hands. They weren't saying more. . . .

Christmas is almost here. Honourable senators have just heard testimony from someone who will not be able to get her medications after the end of the year. Will the government do something to ensure these people will get the medicines they need to keep them alive?

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