Conservatives trying to end drug ad ban w/ amendments to Food and Drugs Act

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=157aad2b-235e-484e-9804-8b04f0374954

Tories trying to end drug ad ban, MP charges
Sarah Schmidt, Canwest News Service
Published: Friday, April 11, 2008

OTTAWA -- The Conservative government is proposing to remove a blanket ban on drug advertising in Canada's drug law so cabinet will have the power to lift the prohibition behind closed doors, opposition MPs charged Thursday.

The proposed amendments to the Drugs and Food Act drop a key section that prohibits pharmaceutical companies from advertising prescription drugs directly to consumers. The new clause, tabled in Parliament on Tuesday, states cabinet can lift the ban through regulations without the scrutiny of Parliamentary debate, says NDP health critic Judy Wasylycia-Leis.

She says these changes "open the door to a flood of direct-to-consumer drug advertising."

"The specific provisions preventing big pharma from advertising directly to consumers have been deleted and replaced with a single, ineffective line handing the minister the power to allow drug costs and drug ads," Wasylycia-Leis said in the House of Commons.

or another story with Clement's side:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080411.DRUGS11/TPStory/National

Loophole clears path for direct-to-consumer drug ads, critics charge

CARLY WEEKS

With a report from Gloria Galloway in Ottawa

April 11, 2008

A Conservative amendment leaves open a loophole that could allow pharmaceutical companies to directly advertise drugs to consumers.

It's a move critics say could drive up health-care costs and influence which drugs people take.

Administrative rules vs Parliament. Pray, tell, where have seen this before...in the Canadian What Board incident, maybe? This is no coincidence.