That's correct, Chair.
I'll give you some background, since you asked, of why I would move a motion to do that. As I said, this is a $13-billion industry. What we've heard over and over and over again is this egregious testimony that has been fuelled by words that are very emotional in nature. We've had the minister here saying this is a “cuckoo bananas bill”. First of all, what minister would talk like that?
We've heard him also talk about factories full of rat feces and urine, and, again, nobody was able to substantiate that. We asked for this evidence before at one of our previous meetings. We asked them to tell us a bit about that. How many of these factories exist? Then, of course, the minister went on to say, well, how much feces and urine is acceptable?
Again, without any substantiation, we've heard these claims over and over again. We've also heard other foolish claims that this doesn't affect labelling, but change in the definition of a therapeutic product is really what allows all of the other changes to happen. All of those things are part of this. The minister said that's absolutely not true, which, again, is playing loosely with the truth.
I do believe the only way to put this to rest is to require and compel, under the issue of parliamentary privilege, these egregious claims to be justified. Out of the 700, are there 698 claims where somebody read the label wrong and they were mad because they got the wrong product because they couldn't read a label? This has nothing to do with that. That's unfortunate. That is someone who just refuses to read a label properly.
On behalf of this committee, I think it's important that we finally lay this issue to rest. There have been many claims made. We need the documents. It would appear people don't want to provide the information. Does it not exist or is it actually true? What level of difficulty have natural health products had in the lives of Canadians?
Certainly, as I mentioned previously, from the stacks and stacks of cards and letters and emails that everybody here got, I know it is not just a Conservative issue. My Liberal colleagues have also received untold correspondence, particularly with the original omnibus bill introduced by this NDP-Liberal government. Now we're continuing to hear of these adverse events, and nobody will provide the information to say what it is.
Realizing they are different kettles of fish, so to speak, we also know that 13,000 seniors are hospitalized every year due to prescription drugs. Again, is that different? No, it's about context. It's about the context to say this is a fact. It's not that somebody took a wrong pill and they were upset about it. What we're saying here is that 13,000 seniors are admitted to hospital. That's the seriousness of the effect related to prescription drugs.
That being said, I think it's important that people who put forward claims be compelled by Parliament to put these claims in writing, and it behooves the committee to finally lay this issue to rest.
Thank you.