From the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) on April 2, 2013:

Effectiveness of strengthened stimulation during acupuncture for the treatment of Bell Palsy: a randomized controlled trial.

http://www.cmaj.ca/content/185/6/473.full?sid=d6b545f7-962e-49de-a966-4db7203ef719

 

From a TCM/A perspective, this research article provoked awareness of our potential future role in integrated medicine because:

1. This research is from China and published in a Western medicial jounral in North America. Not often do we find acupuncture research that fits the Western medicine research protocal without these usual obstacles:

a.acupuncture is not simply the act of needling

b.the outcomes of treatment in acupuncture trials are usually subjective

c. participants in acupuncture trials usually know which treatment they have had

 

2. This research attempts to isolate the effect of needling (vs. placebo effect) by implementing a better form of acupuncture- the sensation of heat or DE QI induced by manipulating the needles.

 

Conclusion: 1.manipulation of acupuncture needles resulted in better functionaly recovery from facial palsy than when the needles were left immobile. 2.  it is time that acupuncture became more mainstream, both with more research into its mechanisms and as a treatment to which more patients have access

Please CLICK HERE to download a PDF version of our HST Petition.

April 1, 2013

A Call to Action!

HST Exemption for Acupuncture Services Provided by TCM and Acupuncture Professionals

In February 2011, the Canadian Coalition of TCM and Acupuncture Associations (CCTAA) was created to initiate the requisite amendments to the Excise Tax Act (R.S., 1985, c. E-15) at Schedule V, Subsection 123 (1), Part II (Health Care Services), section 1. The CCTAA was formed by the joint effort from TCM and Acupuncture associations from across Canada:

• QATCM : Qualified Acupuncturists and TCM Practitioners Association of BC (British Columbia)
• AATCMD : Alberta Association of Traditional Chinese Medical Doctors (Alberta)
• CAAA : College and Association of Acupuncturists of Alberta (Alberta)
• CMAAC : Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture Association of Canada (Ontario)
• TCMPAC : Traditional Chinese Medicine Physicians Association of Canada (Ontario)
• CSCMA : Canadian Society of Chinese Medicine Association (Ontario)
• AAQ : Association of Acupuncturists of Quebec (Quebec)
• CMAANL : Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture Association of Newfoundland and Labrador (Newfoundland and Labrador)

The Federal Finance Minister’s Office had indicated to us that once a profession has been regulated as a health profession by at least five provinces, the services of that profession may be exempted from the GST/HST in Canada.   In 2011, the Coalition (CCTAA) initiated this course of action thinking we had already attained five regulated provinces in Canada but we found out that, at that time, only three provinces met the criteria of the federal government and so our request was put on hold.

Since then, a fourth province, Newfoundland and Labrador, has officially regulated acupuncture on Oct 5th 2012, and this is soon to be followed by the province of Ontario regulating TCM and acupuncture on April 1, 2013.

Finally, with five regulated provinces in place, our acupuncture service will be eligible for the GST/HST exemption.  We must emphasize that the HST exemption DOES NOT happen automatically;  we as TCM/A practitioners may be entitled to an exemption but we will need to request and confirm that this is what our profession, throughout Canada, truly wants.

After the TCM Act in Ontario is proclaimed, the Coalition (CCTAA) will therefore approach the Federal Ministry of Finance once again and request this exemption. The Federal Government will first evaluate the accuracy of our claim (for the five regulated provinces) then will seek confirmation that the HST exemption for acupuncture is what the profession wants. The continuous efforts of a Professional and National Coalition such as the Coalition (CCTAA) as well as the support from the general public in this tax exemption request to the Federal Ministry of Finance are important to our process and will accelerate our demand.

Hence, CMAAC has made available a HST petition with simplified instructions for our members. In order for the petitions to be valid for presentation to the House of Commons, HST petition template on our website was designed to meet the criteria outlined by the guide found on the Parliament of Canada website (thanks to our CMAAC member, Mario Amato, for his big help in this!).  PLEASE USE THE ACTUAL TEMPLATE to collect the petition.

Instructions:

1. Please read the ‘Further Specifics to Petition Requirements’ found below and download the ‘ HST Petition Template’ from the CMAAC website at www.cmaac.ca/Documents.

2. Post a copy at your clinics and obtain at least 25 signatures. (In Canada, a petition with 25 signatures is not given less attention than 1,000 signatures)

3. Submit the original petition (signatures cannot be photocopied) via mail, or in person, to one of the following locations by DEADLINE FRIDAY, JUNE 28, 2013:

• (CMAAC Head Office) Contact: CMAAC Head Office, 154 Wellington St., London, Ontario, N6B 2K8
• (CMAAC Chapters) Contact: CMAAC Chapter Presidents
• (Toronto) Contact: Bin Jiang Wu, Suite 507, 7130 Warden Avenue, Markham, Ontario, Canada

CMAAC will forward the petitions to the Coalition (CCTAA), which in turn will be brought forward to the House of Common on behalf of the CMAAC.

 

Further Specifics to Petition Requirements:

1. The text of a petition must be handwritten, typed, printed or
   photocopied on sheets of paper of usual size [i.e. measuring 21.5 cm x
   28 cm (8 1/2 x 11 inches) or 21.5 cm x 35.5 cm (8 1/2 x 14 inches)].  A
   petition submitted on paper of irregular size, or on any other
   material, is not acceptable.
2. The text of a petition MUST NOT BE ALTERED either by erasing or
   crossing out words or by adding words or commentary.  Any alteration
   will make the petition unacceptable.
3. A petition must be free of any other matter attached or appended to
   or written or printed on the petition, whether in the form of
   additional documents, maps, pictures, logos, news articles,
   explanatory or supporting statements, or requests for support.  A
   petition printed on the reverse of a document (for example a
   newsletter or a Member’s Householder or Ten Percenter) is not
   acceptable.
4. If a petition is composed of more than one sheet of signatures and
   addresses, the subject-matter of the petition must be indicated on
   every sheet.
5. The petition must receive at least 25 signatures in order to be
   certified for presentation to the House. The signatures of any MPs
   will not count towards the 25 required signatures.
6. Signatures must not be photocopied, signatures do not need to be from patients alone, and there is no minimum age requirement.

The Association of Acupuncturists of Quebec has already managed to obtain more than 27, 000 signatures from their province alone – imagine the support we can get across Canada!

 

For more information, please contact:

(Chinese) Bin Jiang Wu (416)222-3667; info@octcm.com

(English) Mario Amato (519)351-6539; marsmars@auracom.com

 

We would like to give special thanks to Mario Amato, Jane Cheung, Susan Makray, and Binjiang Wu for their contributions to this cause on behalf of the CMAAC!