I put that forward as an option because it's not generally thought of as an option in this country because of our history. I wanted to fully explore the advantages and disadvantages of that option, and to deal with some of the difficulties we've had with block funding over the last 30, 40 years. Block funding has done certain things well, but other things it has not done well, and I feel this option addresses those issues in a much more effective way.
It is very difficult to maintain a national formulary if you have 13 provincial and territorial single-payer plans. Even assuming they're single payers, it's going to be very difficult to have a single, national, pan-Canadian formulary that they will agree to at all times. Therefore, that allows for a lot of negotiating around the edges, lobbying etc. Interest groups can do a great deal to take advantage of that situation. Discipline can break down, and that's why I say that the federal option is one that will deliver a greater level of discipline. The potential of that discipline has to be exercised.