--but I could be wrong.
To get back to the main issue, I would like to read something from a Health Canada document:
Internet pharmacies practising CBDS [cross-border drug sales] have emerged over the past several years. The advent of the Internet has expanded the volume of exported drug products from Canada, currently representing a significant percentage of the total Canadian drug market - approximately 8% of total prescription drug sales. While anecdotal reports have identified increased difficulty and delay with obtaining certain drugs, there is no evidence to date to suggest that CBDS have caused a pan-Canadian shortage of prescription drugs.
That is from Health Canada from last week.
The member is suggesting that is not the case. Is he saying that health Canada is wrong? If so, I would be very interested.
The document makes a distinction between retail drug sales, which is from individual purchases, versus wholesale or bulk importation of Canadian drugs. It is the bulk that the Conservative Party is calling for a ban on. In fact, it is the Conservative Party that has led the initiative. On Tamiflu I think the member has raised a valid point. That is why the online pharmacies have voluntarily decided not to export that particular product. The industry is showing responsibility in that regard.
Given what we know from Health Canada, I think we need to wait for the health committee to do its study.