Thank you so much.
Thank you, Minister, for being here. I particularly want to thank your staff and of course the public servants who are there for the important work they're doing.
Minister, time's running out on this government. It has yet to fulfill its promise to make mental health care a full and equal part of our universal public health care system. A report that was released last month by the Canadian Mental Health Association on the state of mental health in Canada found that the mental health of Canadians is three times worse than before COVID-19. Millions of Canadians still can't access the supports they need. This was clear in that report.
Yesterday's fall economic statement was perhaps your government's last chance to move forward with its promised Canada mental health transfer. Again, it was nowhere to be found. While the economic statement contained $17 billion in new spending for helping business, the government has really abandoned Canadians struggling with their mental health—their communities, their families and, really, our overburdened health care system.
Do you believe all Canadians should be able to access mental health supports with their health card and not their credit card? If so, why has your government not been able to make that a reality after almost a decade in power?