A man determined to have been mentally ill — who was subsequently found not guilty of murdering his son — is running as an independent candidate in Huntsville, Ont.
David Carmichael, 52, says he knows he probably he won't win against Conservative incumbent and Industry Minister Tony Clement, but he hopes elected MPs and voters will listen to his campaign message, which highlights the potential dangers of anti-depressants and other medications.
He says Canada needs an independent drug safety board separate from Health Canada that would research prescription drugs and provide information to hospitals and family doctors.
"We're trying to raise public awareness about the influence (big pharmaceutical companies) have on our health-care system and a large part of this is a prescription drug safety board to prevent tragedies like (my family's)," Carmichael told Postmedia News on Monday.
On July 31, 2004, Carmichael poisoned and strangled to death Ian, his 11-year-old epileptic son, in a hotel room during a visit to a BMX bicycle tournament.
Carmichael was first prescribed an anti-depressant called Paxil in 2003 to treat his depression, but the medical community wasn't alerted to the drug's serious side-effects until a year later, he said.
At his murder trial, Carmichael was found not guilty by reason of mental illness and was sent for treatment at Brockville Psychiatric Hospital.
In an interview with Postmedia News at the Brockville, Ont., facility in 2006, Carmichael said his mind was "broken" when he killed Ian. At the time, he told police he believed that Ian was "better off in heaven" and that his son was suffering from brain damage.
Carmichael has been canvassing the riding's neighbourhoods and attends all-candidates meetings where he shares his recommendations to improve Canada's health care system. He said municipalities also should receive federal funding so that residents can use community facilities — such as the public pool or ice rink — for free to maintain healthy lifestyles.
Carmichael chose Clement's riding because he said the former federal and provincial health minister has the experience and background to champion the cause of drug safety.
"It's obviously quite likely Tony Clement is going to win by landslide out here. At least the more votes I get, the stronger the message is to Ottawa that we need to take a look at prescription drug safety," he said.
He said Clement and other elected MPs should join Oakville, Ont., incumbent Terence Young, who introduced a private member's bill that would remove medical regulatory power from Health Canada.
Young's teenage daughter died in 2000 after she was taking a medication called Prepulsid, which caused a heart attack. Young investigated the drug and reported that the federal agency issued warnings about it — but doctors were still prescribing it to patients.
Carmichael said the community has been open to his pitch, although a handful of residents have called him names.
"I've met some people who had similar experiences, not as tragic as ours. I've had people who are very quick to judge . . . but the people who judge me will never beat me up as much as I beat myself up for a long, long time," he said.
