The following letter was sent to MP John Weston and copied to Coast Reporter.
You attempt to position yourself (in your free mailers, website, etc.) as an advocate for health. Yet you support budgets and other measures that impose de facto cuts on federal health expenditures.
The latest insult to those with less than optimal health is a little-known administrative ruling by CRA administrators to impose GST and HST on private mental health services. Why would you tax health services for the unhealthy, those living with chronic, disabling conditions?
Mental health services are health services, not a luxury. Those suffering the disabling effects of chronic mental issues are already quite disadvantaged in terms of income, housing, employment and other necessities of daily living. Are we now to add GST/HST to their disadvantages?
One in five Canadians will have a mental health problem in a given year and only about one-third of them seeks and receives care. This new tax will make it even harder for Canadians to access care.
Canada Revenue Agency’s interpretation of the term “qualifying health care supply” is extremely troubling and ignores the fact that much of health care in Canada is funded through private insurance. Psychological services are not covered by our provincial health plans, which mean that Canadians either pay out of pocket or rely on private insurance to receive care. Of course, most of those who need it most have neither employment nor incomes that afford them private health insurance.
Yes, I feel strongly about this. Yes, I have an adult relative who suffers from a mental illness and has extreme difficulty accessing employment.
What is your position on this issue?
Henry Hightower, Sechelt
