Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Chair, I want to remind colleagues about the testimony of a patient, Mr. Bleskie, last week. He told us that universal coverage that includes diabetes medication would be simply life-saving. No one can deny that. We have three doctors on this committee, and no one denies that untreated diabetes costs millions of dollars and causes serious consequences.
With that said, Mr. Chair, I want to make a comment on this amendment. This provision talks about the principles in addition to the Canada Health Act. The first three principles refer to “accessibility”, “affordability” and “the appropriate use of pharmaceutical products”. These are the goals and the principles, not descriptions. Removing the word “provide” would weaken the principles, so, Mr. Chair, I oppose this amendment.