Thank you, Madam Chair.
As I was listening to all the presentations, I had the very definite impression that we are dealing here with a persistent and ongoing problem. Today we are talking about the H1N1 flu virus, because that is the greatest risk facing the communities this fall.
However, as Chief Evans was explaining, living conditions in your communities are such that they run the risk of being seriously affected by this disease, as well as others. There is reason to wonder today why action has not been taken to improve those living conditions over time. That would have meant that, in dealing with a possible H1N1 pandemic, the communities would have been better equipped at the grassroots level to deal with the situation.
A littler earlier, my colleague was asking officials what the current situation is with respect to access to water. At this time, it is expected that tanks will be delivered to certain communities that do not have access to water. That resolves one issue at a very specific moment in time, but it does not solve the long-term problem. And, it is a problem that can become critical when we are talking about a disease that is likely to affect the community.
Ms. Turner said that, in the short term, the only tool available to them to deal with the H1N1 virus is the vaccine. As for the other issues, unfortunately, it is too late to deal with them before the fall. Is it your sense that, right now, the real priority is to ensure that everyone has access to the vaccine?