Thank you for that clarification.
I find that shocking, given my years of practice and all the professionals I've practised with. Your suggestion that they aren't trained and that they aren't practising appropriate use is mind-boggling, because these practitioners, whether they be pharmacists, doctors, nurse practitioners or nurses, are providing those medications. Your statement suggests that this legislation was written to give the minister the ability to regulate what that appropriate use is. I find it extremely shocking that we're sitting here with a piece of legislation that basically tells practitioners, who should be paying attention to what's being done here, that once again this government is coming after them for what they're doing and is putting the power into the hands of the minister to do that.
You know, this government came after practitioners who incorporated with the capital gains tax that it's now proposing changes to. Again it is trying to attack professionals along those avenues. Here we see another attack against them. You know, the great Paul Harvey said that self-government won't work without self-discipline. Self-government is what practitioners do, and they govern themselves. That's what regulatory bodies are there for. Each one of them has those bodies there to regulate and govern their professionals. They have steps and procedures to deal with that, and you're saying that this legislation now is suggesting that you're going to take away that autonomous ability of those practitioners and put it in the hands of the minister to deal with this aspect. I find that just appalling.
My riding is Souris—Moose Mountains, and the great city of Weyburn is in my riding. The great city of Weyburn was home to Tommy Douglas, and many of his family are still in the community and the area. Does anyone remember what happened right after that legislation came out in Saskatchewan in 1962? There was, across the board, a doctors strike. Why? It was because people were attacking the professionals.
The dental plan being put forward by this government suggests that we're going to provide all this help for Canadians. Don't get me wrong—we need to have that health care, and I'm 100% behind providing that dental care, but of the practitioners the government and this Liberal-NDP government keep talking about, hardly any—less than 1% to 2%—are dentists. They're dental hygienists, but not dentists. When you try to find a dentist, you can't find one. When you try to find a dentist in a rural community, it's almost impossible.
With respect to the statements you're making here and clarification of what this piece of legislation says, paragraph 4(c) in particular is suggesting that if this goes through, the professionals will be regulated by the Government of Canada, by the Minister of Health, and that's appalling. I think Canadians who are watching this, as well as doctors and health care professionals, need to be aware that they're losing their ability to self-govern.
I find it just appalling that we wouldn't look at this simple amendment so it could ensure that autonomy was there for the trained health care practitioners who provide that service. I find it just shocking that people would not support this amendment.