Tory senators kill proposed MS treatment legislation

The Conservatives have used their Senate majority to kill legislation that would have authorized a national strategy to deal with a controversial therapy for multiple sclerosis.

Liberal senators say it's shameful that Bill S-204 was squelched in committee.

"This bill is dead, the Conservatives killed it," said Sen. Jim Munson.

"Before we even got to clause by clause in this bill, the Conservative senators shut down the debate. They refused to allow a bill to go to clause by clause and thus go in to the Senate to become law."

The Liberals said their Conservative opponents even refused to allow MS patients to testify about the effects of treatment for what is known as chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency or CCSVI.

"They don't want to hear from MS patients, to have them as witnesses before the committee," said Sen. Jane Cordy, sponsor of the bill. "This is shameful."

The Conservative senators argued this is a matter for science and medicine, not Parliament.

"Since Day 1, the Conservatives have played politics with MS patients," Cordy said.

The government has promised clinical trials of the therapy and a national register of patients, although neither the trials nor the registry have started.

The bill would have required a national strategy and formal trials of what is known as liberation therapy, which involves opening blocked neck veins.

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Tory senators kill proposed MS treatment legislation