Thank you very much for that very important question.
I believe the matter of palliative care is something Canadians are very interested in. I certainly look forward to hearing the thoughts of the committee and your recommendations in that regard.
This is something that came up in the meeting with provincial and territorial health ministers when we met in January. There was a tremendous amount of interest in palliative care, and I think it's safe to say that part of that interest has been spurred on by the fact that, as you well know, we are in the process of, in the very near future, tabling legislation associated with medical assistance in dying. I think that's highlighted for us as Canadians the fact that we have, as a country, not done as well as we could have. In fact, Canadians don't have access, in many cases, to the high quality of palliative care that they need.
I intend—and I think my colleagues in the provinces and territories are prepared to do so, as well—to direct a significant portion of our attention in the health accord discussions to palliative care. I think it's a very excellent vehicle for being able to make this happen. You know that we've committed to an additional $3 billion in home care, and a good portion of that money may, in fact, go to palliative care. I would look forward to your comments on that.
Going forward I think, as you know, the delivery of health care is in the hands of provinces and territories, but one of the things we are committed to doing as a federal government is responding to the innovative ideas across the country. I know that across the country there are a number of places where palliative care is being done well. We will make investments to make sure those good ideas are spread across the country.