I have a very serious concern.
Ms. Sidhu was talking earlier about populations that do not receive the care to which they are entitled. We have a very specific situation in Quebec, which we pointed out the last time we were here. It is that nurses' initial training does not prepare them to treat diabetic patients in the community.
As Dr. Whiteside noted earlier, people must have access to care nearby, both prevention and quick treatment. Since not enough nurses receive that training, we fear that access to care could be reduced for all Quebeckers. That means that 8 million people do not have equal access to care to what is available in the rest of Canada. We know that close to 250,000 Quebeckers currently have diabetes and do not know about it.
It is very difficult to access care, yet it is essential for all Canadians to have access to care quickly, regardless of the province they live in. This is a real calamity because people are having amputations which could have been prevented. People are suffering from renal insufficiency which could have been prevented. Something has to be done. Now is the time to act.