Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to have the opportunity to put a question to the hon. member.
He spoke long and eloquently about what makes sense and what does not make sense in our tax system. Therefore I would like to put to him a problem that has been presented to me as a member of Parliament, and I believe probably has come to all members of Parliament, and that is the problem doctors in Canada have experienced with the GST.
I would like to read in the little time I have from a submission that was made to me by Dr. Laurie Cook, a doctor in my riding in the city of Prince George. In his letter he states: "Enclosed is a copy of the Canadian Medical Association review of GST as regards physicians in private practice. My guess is that I have lost about $2,000 a year since 1991 as a result of GST paid but not recoverable".
In the submission from the CMA I note a couple of points. It states: "Doctors are not asking for special treatment. Doctors are asking to be treated like other self-employed Canadians and small businesses. If doctors or self-employed individuals are considered as small businesses for tax purposes it seems reasonable that doctors should have the same tax rules apply to them that apply to other small businesses. This is a question of fundamental fairness".
Further it states: "It is estimated that the 55,000 doctors employ up to 100,000 Canadians. Physicians play an important part in job creation. The effects of the GST and a proposed harmonized sales tax could have an effect on individuals employed by doctors".
In light of that, since the hon. member has spoken so long and eloquently about fairness in the tax system, I wonder what his feeling is about this particular issue. Will he support the doctors being zero rated for GST purposes?