Thank you all for being with us here today.
Mr. Casey, I think you asked a profound question. You asked what we're talking about when we talk about pharmacare. I'm going to ask a general question, then. I'd like each of you to answer yes or no, and then I'll dig into it.
The evidence this committee has heard is that approximately 20% of Canadians don't have access to medicine they need when they're ill; about 10% have no coverage whatsoever, and another 10% of Canadians have such sporadic coverage as to effectively not have any at all. That's 7.5 million Canadians walking around our country today who cannot afford to buy the medicine they need to get well, even if it were prescribed by a doctor.
Do you support developing a system whereby every Canadian can get access to the medicine they need, regardless of their ability to pay?
Ms. Harris