With all due respect, minister, allow me to doubt the human resource and funding efforts made to give a real hand to one of the clienteles that is a federal responsibility.
On a number of occasions, I have asked that the Standing Committee on Health conduct a survey on aboriginal health. We will definitely be hearing from witnesses. I'm sure we will hear another story regarding aboriginal people's demands to improve their health and the support that could be given to them in that area. Then the committee can hear from you again and provide you with a completely different report, a much more pessimistic and less optimistic report than yours.
You also announced a grant of $59 million to the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. I met a number of health researchers, and some told us that research demand had increased. However, as a result of a shortage of available funding, they had the impression that a number of research projects had been rejected in spite of the fact that they met the criteria.
How is it that a number of types of research projects are rejected and that the funding is lacking? Research laboratories often have to cut back their activities, even stop research, in some cases, for lack of money.
You say you're increasing the budget of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. That means it's possible the money is being distributed less effectively.