Thank you very much.
I'm very concerned to hear today that you, Mr. Minister, have dismissed the idea of any kind of role for the federal government in providing home care or community care. That's been a longstanding belief among Canadians; it's the next stage of medicare, and you've dismissed it as something that's strictly local. Frankly, without being disparaging to provincial governments, I find your whole approach today is very provincial, very local, and not national.
You suggest that by raising these questions I should be back in Manitoba running for provincial politics. I suggest to you, Mr. Minister, that what we desperately need is a national vision around health care, and nowhere have you described your vision, have you put down on paper or said to this committee or the House how you intend to sustain health care.
At your convenience you use the argument of provincial jurisdiction, so when it comes to home care you're not going to tamper with provincial governments. But when it's convenient to you to put on this front of being tough on drugs and consumer products, you're going to tell all the hospitals and all the provinces they must collect information on adverse reactions.
When you want to, you do it; when it's convenient to you to do it, you will, but not when it comes to building on medicare, which would be advancing--as many experts in the field have always said--from hospitals and doctors, to drug coverage, to home care, and to community care. Frankly, I'm absolutely appalled at the lack of vision coming from you and your suggestion that there is no room on the part of the federal government to engage in these areas.
Have you totally dismissed the idea of national home care? Have you totally dismissed the idea of a national pharmacare strategy?
You talk about a national cancer strategy, which is great. Everybody appreciates that. But it stops short of research and prevention issues. You draw the line conveniently between research and development of drugs and prevention, and ignore people who are dying of cancer.