Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you for being here, Madam Minister.
As you know, health care is a priority for Canadians. During the last election campaign, the constituents of the Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert riding that I represent told me about the problems in our health care system, as did health care professionals.
Our citizens want to have access to a family doctor. They want to go to the emergency room and not spend the whole day waiting there. They want to obtain treatment within a reasonable timeframe.
That's currently still not the case. However, many groups are asking the federal government to be more proactive. Last Thursday, during a presentation by the C.D. Howe Institute, Don Drummond, former chief economist at TD Bank, criticized the federal government's lack of leadership in health care.