Let me say, I've had the advantage of working with several federal health ministers, including Allan Rock and Anne McLellan. Anne was still there when I was defeated provincially, so I didn't work with Ujjal Dosanjh. I guess he won in 2004.
Certainly with Allan and Anne.... I can tell you that whenever a new health minister is appointed, I call them and have the same discussion I had when I was appointed a health minister. You have joined a very special club where you get clubbed a lot. It's that kind of club. But at the end of the day, you're trying to do something that is going to help some lives and save some lives. We try to wear that mantle.
We have rhetorical fights and partisan jabs, but at the end of the day we are trying to make the Canadian health care system the best in the world. That's our job. That's our role and responsibility. Ms. Dhalla was talking about how I mentioned Liberal and NDP improvements to the health care system. I meant it. This is really not a partisan matter; it's about getting the job done. I believe ultimately that's where most people's heads are at. They're not interested in an ideological approach to this. They want to see a better health care system. And that's our role and responsibility.