Thank you, Chair.
Welcome, Minister.
I think the behaviour we just saw from Mr. Ellis is shameful. We're really trying to have a thoughtful conversation about a very important piece of legislation that is going to make an incredible impact on the lives of Canadians. You don't have to agree with everything. The idea behind a committee meeting is to have an analytical discussion as to how we can improve a piece of legislation, not get into the political, rhetorical diatribes that we saw.
I'm personally very excited to see this piece of legislation. I spent time working at the provincial level in the parliament in Ontario, where we brought in pharmacare legislation, a program called OHIP+. I was very disappointed when I saw the Conservative government of Doug Ford gut that legislation, denying so many Ontarians access to important life-saving medication, so I'm thrilled that at the federal level we are coming in with the national pharmacare plan.
I'm interested, Minister, in learning about the details. I know that this is a thoughtful piece of legislation. Can you share with us, if this legislation passes, the next steps in terms of engaging the provinces, the territories and indigenous peoples in rolling out this particular program? Also, I'm interested in the work that you are doing pursuant to this legislation, if passed, to ensure that all Canadians get access to diabetes medication and contraceptives.