Thank you very much to the member for that question as well.
It is one of the silver linings of COVID-19. There aren't many, although maybe we'll find more over the next decades. Right now, a silver lining of the pandemic is that virtual care was able to arise so quickly. Provinces and territories quickly sprung into action to create, for example, billing codes to be able to properly compensate health care practitioners for providing care online or in virtual ways.
I also come from a semi-rural community. The work we have been doing with provinces and territories to strengthen access to virtual care is really critical. We've provided $240 million in funding, including $72 million through supplementary estimates (A). This is about building up the capacity to deliver virtual health care services in a way that protects people's privacy and data and ensures that people get that quality care.
This is not going to replace in-person care, but it certainly can augment in-person care, in particular for people who have a hard time getting access to in-person care.
Thank you, MP Kelloway, through the chair.