I think I'll go on. I'm not going to get an answer to that question. We didn't get a commitment from the minister that she will come, so I will try a motion again before the committee on the Canada Health Act.
Let me ask about the pharmaceuticals strategy, which has now been in the works for over five years, the national pharmaceuticals strategy that federal-provincial ministers agreed to. We're no further ahead; nothing has happened.
We just received another report from the Health Council, A Prescription Unfulfilled, where they clearly make the point that at a time of economic recession nothing is more important than people being able to access the drugs they need, yet we have not had one whiff of commitment from this government about how they're planning to proceed. The latest provincial offer was for a 50-50 cost sharing on catastrophic drugs, 50-50 cost splits to meet the cost of drugs for rare diseases.
I would like to know where the federal government is on those two ideas and with respect to the national pharmaceuticals strategy. This is rather urgent and important.