I will never be lost for words defending someone who has shown the courage that the minister has shown over the last five weeks defending the government against the disease of political opportunism.
I spoke about the reversal of policy. The Reform Party must bear the brunt of responsibility for its reversal of policy. The Reform Party uses this issue to try to look good on health care because it knows that the Reform approach to Canada's health care system is not popular. It is strange to see the Reform Party suddenly talking about compassion when the sum total of its policy over the years has been anything but compassion.
Where was the compassion when the Reform Party said it would cut $3.5 billion from social assistance programs? Where was the compassion when it said it would cut $3 billion from old age security and $5 billion from the employment insurance program? Where was the compassion when it said it would cut $3 billion from equalization payments to Quebec, Saskatchewan and Manitoba? Where was the compassion when it said it would dismantle the Canada pension plan and eliminate benefits for both disabled and pregnant women on maternity leave? I point out that the maintenance of the Canada pension plan—