With respect to an evaluation, Mr. Chair, we just undertook a very extensive evaluation back in 2005. It had a series of excellent recommendations, including recommendations about transparency, such that we added, for example, two public reps to the board. Certainly, I'm not sure another independent review would be required. There's been an awful lot of discussion here and a lot of good work by the committee members and the analysts, and others, I'm sure, and I'm looking forward to the final report. I think there's an awful lot of good work we can do going forward, rather than having a reflective independent review. That would be my perspective on the first item.
With respect to national standards, the CDR has actually brought things together in a number of ways. Using Saskatchewan as an example, we had our own groups that would do evaluations—mostly on the clinical effectiveness side of the equation. Saskatchewan is not a big province, nor is New Brunswick, nor is Manitoba, nor are others, and we couldn't bring the cost-effectiveness and economic analysis together. By pulling CDR to a national framework, we've achieved economies of scale in our ability to tap into national resources, and that's been very, very useful for the provinces and is leading us closer, I think, to that goal of a national pharmaceutical program, which could have a common formulary.
With respect to the two layers, I'm just going to comment that Canada is unique, let us not forget, as health care is the responsibility of the provinces. In many other countries, like the U.K., health care is the responsibility of the national government as well. Dr. Sanders will correct me, but I think that's in part why we have this two-layer bit of business here.
You mentioned what went on in the past and whether there were inadequacies, and so on. I can't speak to any of those, but I do know that with the economies of scale we've achieved, the quality of the review has now improved—certainly from Saskatchewan's perspective and, I'd like to think, from the perspective all provinces and territories, because that's why we're all participants in this.