Thank you. Thank you very much, Mike. I also commend you. You're no stranger to the health problems people face, especially with your dad being a doctor, and with the work you've done on this committee.
Why did I do this bill? I guess when I first got elected, probably six or seven years ago, I came up here and found out what a private member's bill was all about. You find out. I remember talking to Herb Gray, and he said, “A private member's bill is a bill that a member puts forward when there is something he believes in and that is going to help people. Some make it, and some don't, and some really affect the people of the country.” He said, “Don't take it lightly. If you're going to do a private member's bill, try to do one that benefits most Canadians.”
I always thought about that. Of course, we were in government for quite a few years. Last year I was thinking about what kind of private member's bill I could do.
I had a staff meeting. Of course, many MPs here know that there are many people who come to your office with all kinds of problems. One of the situations that was most heart-wrenching in our office was that of people coming in who were getting caught between the cracks. They have an illness, and they're waiting for their EI, and they're also going through this whole stressful period.
Then I talked to my roommate Rodger Cuzner, and he was on the committee. He mentioned that this thing was looked at before. So that's where we started with it, and then we started getting support, and people were encouraging us, especially people from home. Once it started, we started getting e-mails from people across the country. So that gave us the inspiration to go. We had good support in the House with it, so that's where it went.
Of course, as you know, you have to do your homework on it. We had to get some research done on numbers. We also talked to our local HRDC people.
I know I don't have too much time for your question, but you asked what other countries are dealing with this or have this situation. Most of the European countries already have.
How much time do I have?