I'll start by commenting that Mr. Lake said he started voting NDP, and as he got older and presumably a little wiser, he joined the PCs. Maybe with a couple more years and a little more wisdom, eventually he'll become a Liberal.
Following on from that, Mr. Barua, you talked about underfunding of the system. It seems pretty clear that you think that's a large part of the problem. What are we going to do about it? That is the question. How accepting are Canadians going to be of higher taxes in order to pay for higher health care?
Luc talks repeatedly about the need for more money going to Quebec in order to provide adequate health care in Quebec. I think other provinces feel the same way. However, how much are Canadians willing to pay?
You've talked about user fees and the option of private health care, which both seem to be prohibited under the Canada Health Act. Should we allow those things?
There have been a number of surveys where people have asked Canadians what the most important thing is for them in defining what a Canadian is, or what the most important value is as a Canadian. Most Canadians repeatedly say two things: hockey and universal health care. Clearly, of those, the more important one is hockey, but health care comes in a pretty close second.
Would Canadians be willing to countenance user fees and privatization of health care? We're all politicians here. Basically, would this sell in Canada?
Do you think Canadians would be willing to accept that? Is any party going to have the cojones to do that, and is this something that we might need a national referendum on?