Finance committee  Part 2 of the bill includes an amendment to the Excise Tax Act that deals both with the GST/HST and excise taxation. I'm going to cover the GST/HST measures, and Ms. Di Primio will be covering the excise taxation measure. First, in respect to the GST/HST, I would like to say as

Finance committee  Basically, there have been representations by the Canadian Pharmacists Association in that respect. It's to recognize the increased involvement of pharmacists in the health care sector.

Finance committee  Yes. Could I correct what I just said?

Finance committee  For pharmacists, when they dispense a drug that is zero-rated, that service is zero-rated. In this case we're talking about when you have a consultation with the pharmacist, the fee they may charge for that. When you said dispensing services, it's not the fee for dispensing presc

Finance committee  Just to clarify, are you talking about the fact that registered nurses, occupational therapists, and physiotherapists can now issue an order?

Finance committee  It's to recognize the greater involvement of those health care practitioners in ordering those kinds of medical devices. In some cases, if the doctor issued it, you had to see the doctor and take the time at the doctor's to basically get the zero-rated treatment, while it would i

Finance committee  Yes. Essentially, we rely on provinces to say what health care professionals can do. It varies from province to province. There are provinces that allow a registered nurse or a physiotherapist to write an order for a medical device, and basically this amendment recognizes that ev

Finance committee  Yes. This information is found in the budget document. Let me just find it. It's on page 381 of the budget document. Essentially, the costing here has been done for all the health care measures that are included in this bill. The cost for 2012-13 would be $3 million; for 2013-1

Finance committee  Yes.

Finance committee  The amendment I talked about involving B.C. generally applies after March 2013. April 1, 2013, is the date on which B.C. has decided to reinstate their provincial sales tax.

Finance committee  It's for the services that pharmacists are entitled to provide under provincial legislation.

Finance committee  Why do pharmacists lobby the government? Basically you will have to ask the Pharmacists Association that. But as a general benefit, it provides a benefit for the patient because they will not pay tax on the value of their service.

Finance committee  Just as an economic principle, their services will not be subjected to tax. That's usually an advantage.

Finance committee  The inputs related to the supply of those newly exempted services can be viewed mainly as the salary of the pharmacist or the pharmacist's employee.

Finance committee  Yes.