Fun in Parliament

An excerpt from a Parliamentary transcript on Canadian health care and direct to consumer advertising (DTCA) of medications:

Mr. Jean Joubert: I didn't come here to support advertising. I'm just saying it's a fact; it's there. I'm proposing more education, more information. So don't take my position as supporting advertising.

The Chair: Good. That's what I was hoping you would say.

Mrs. Anne Kothawala: If I could just make one last point....

The Chair: I'll refute it if you do.

Mrs. Anne Kothawala: I can't let this go unchallenged. You say, should we encourage it or discourage it? Our view is that you can't discourage DTCA, because it is here. We have American DTCA, and you can't discourage that.

The Chair: You don't have enough faith in Canadians, because Canadians were also exposed to 18 months' worth of propaganda, George Bush's propaganda, about all the reasons we needed to go to war in Iraq. They saw that on American television every single day for hours, and on every newscast, and they rejected it. It's the same with the tobacco thing and it's the same with split-run magazines.

Mrs. Anne Kothawala: You don't have faith in Canadians if you don't think they can take this information that they say they want and deserve. Let's listen to what Canadians think about this.

The Chair: I think you've spent too much time on this one project, Anne. Your newspaper association better get you out doing something else, a variety of projects. I'd better adjourn before someone hits me over the head with this.

Sure sounds like they're having fun, don't it? :) I inadvertently found this while searching on the official Canadian government website.