moved for leave to introduce Bill C-250, An Act to amend the Income Tax Act (herbal remedies).
Mr. Speaker, when the Liberals were in power, they imposed a tax on herbal remedies that a lot of Canadians use.
My wife, for example, is allergic to sulfa-based drugs and cannot use 90% of prescriptions that are on the market. She uses herbal remedies, subscribed by a naturopath in some cases, and yet those particular herbal remedies are not available for tax exemption. If people without a medical plan have a prescription, they can claim it on their income tax return. However, if people use remedies like St. John's Wort, et cetera, they are not entitled to claim that as a medical expense.
I believe, as do many Canadians who use natural products to heal themselves, that they should be able to claim that as a tax deduction.
Again I am hoping that the Conservatives, who like tax cuts, will support this initiative in order to support the millions of Canadians who do not use sulfa-based drugs but use alternatives for their remedies.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)