Grant Hill

[Health Care, September 24th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, when the health minister was recently asked where he would find the money for national pharmacare, he replied: “I don't know but it's a really good idea”.

When patients are trapped in the longest waiting lines in history why would anybody be thinking about a brand new national program?

[Petitions, April 16th, 1997]

Madam Speaker, the second petition relates to health foods.

The petitioners request that Parliament stop the process whereby the health protection branch can arbitrarily remove those health foods from Canadian use.

[Petitions, April 16th, 1997]

Madam Speaker, I have petitions from my constituents. The first petition asks Parliament to remove the provocation defence.

[Krever Inquiry, April 15th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, the Krever commission on tainted blood is supposed to be about health but it is tied up again by lawyers.

We want to find out who is in charge on this issue. Is it the Red Cross lawyers, is it the supreme court lawyers or is it our weak health minister lawyer?

[Criminal Code, April 14th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, one thing that I have been surprised at is the issue of the age of sexual consent. This bills deals with prostitution and young prostitutes. The age of sexual consent is not commonly known to many Canadians as being 14 years of age.

I would be quite interested for the member, who has broad experience in police matters, to make a comment on the age of sexual consent and whether he thinks it is appropriate at age 14.

[Health, April 9th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, a typical flippant answer from this minister, but let us talk about melatonin. This is a natural hormone produced by the body. The health police have decided it is to be banned in Canada. Here is the interesting part. We can still buy it for personal use from the U.S. Strange, is it not?

If melatonin is harmful, produce the evidence and it should be banned. However, if there is no evidence, why not let well informed consumers decide for themselves here in Canada?

[Health, April 9th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, Canada's health police are taking away many Canadians' opportunities for natural herbs and vitamins without any evidence of their harm.

I would like to ask the health minister if he could reverse the onus so that his health police would have to produce evidence of harm before they take away those products that Canadians want.

[Food And Drugs Act, March 20th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, many Canadians use health foods, nutritional supplements, as a preventive measure. We have health police in Canada who are going after them. That crew over here fights cigarettes with more nicotine while attacking 60 common products like camphor and mineral oil.

Will the government admit that the Food and Drugs Act requires amendment to create a category for nutriceuticals so that these products will continue to be available for all Canadians?

[Health, March 20th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, preventive medicine is very popular in Canada these days. With many acute care facilities closing it makes only good sense to do what we can to stop disease before it starts. Health foods, vitamins, nutritional supplements and alternative medical practices are tools to prevent disease. These are employed by many thoughtful citizens.

The health protection branch and international Codex proposals threaten those choices in Canada. For example, melatonin has now been banned. Is there any proven harm? No. Is there any proven side effect? No. Is there any proven impurity? No.

Reform's position on this issue is clear. An informed consumer is a far better judge of their health care needs than some distant bureaucrat in Ottawa. Our message is also clear to the health protection branch and to Codex. Get out of our faces.

[Tobacco Products, March 19th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, they are treating the industry reasonably well, indeed. On March 13, 1996 the chair of a meeting between government officials, researchers and the industry said the following:

Lines crossed with U.S. and Canadian varieties will continue with emphasis on improving nicotine and grade quality.

Did the health minister know this was going on and why did he not stop it?