Mr. Speaker, the member raises the important issue of privatization that is happening at this level of government. He may not be aware of the number of steps that his own Minister of Health and other government officials have taken in that direction.
I would ask him to review the whole situation with respect to the elimination of the drug research bureau which costs taxpayers $2 million to $3 million and which means the loss of any independent research capacity when it comes to drugs and for which the minister answered by saying that the private drug companies can monitor themselves and do their own research. If that is not privatization what is?
On his second point, there are a number of organizations that felt they were in the process of dialogue with the Minister of Health and were prepared to work on the improvement of standards. They feel Bill C-14 came out of the blue in the middle of that consultation and dialogue.
If they were prepared to do that and were prepared to come forward with an important study about the scientific assessment of risks associated with drinking water and drinking water materials then why could we have not waited to see the results of the study? Why could we not have found ways to achieve these objectives other than a very costly mechanism which by the minister's own admission could cost consumers and taxpayers in the order of $2 million?