Finance committee  Here's the rub. I wouldn't worry about Ontario. The federal government has not flowed the half billion dollars that it promised the Health Infoway, so let's look into our own courtyard as it relates to this table. While there are issues in e-health, and some of us are more aware of it than others, it doesn't take away from the concept that we're falling behind Europeans and others in a big way.

Finance committee  It's malaria.

Finance committee  My only comment would be that actually all of the governments, provincial and federal, have invested in internationally educated nurses and doctors over the last few years, and I think we need to evaluate how successful we are so we can do more of it in a more effective way. Some of it is working well, some is working less.

Finance committee  With the current tax credit, if you don't earn anything you don't get a tax credit. In Quebec, if you have the expenditure and you earn zero, you get it as a benefit. I see our esteemed colleague there nodding his head, and he probably knows far more about it than I.

Finance committee  Yes. You guys are all public servants, and you came to it to do the right thing, so I really have a lot of respect for you. I do.

Finance committee  There are two things. One is the fact that they just can't submit a claim. If you have no income, you don't submit a claim, right? The second is the gradual phasing out at the income of $18,000—the credit gradually gets lower and lower and then at $18,000 you are at zero. Who can live on $18,000?

Finance committee  I agree.

Finance committee  Thank you very much. I'm Judy Shamian. I'm the president and CEO of VON Canada, an organization that has proudly served Canadians for 112 years, and we are currently in thousands of communities. I will focus today primarily on the workforce that supports our health and social system.