Well then, why don't we call it a “coalition”—which it really is anyway—if that will make our NDP member a little happier?
We have, in my view, a structural problem in health care. Until we address that, we could commit double the money that we're committing today and it'll simply change nothing. We won't go off life-support and we won't get out of the crisis.
Here are some of the structural problems. Dr. Smart, I'd appreciate your comments on.
We have an outdated model of how we pay doctors. We have doctors doing work that clearly other professions could do, but that's the way they get paid. It's not the doctors' fault. Again, that's the elected people's fault.
Secondly, we have professions within health care that are not prepared to change their scope of practice. A lot of things could be done in health care at different levels, but professions are pretty strident in what they stand for.
Finally, we have public sector unions that wield far too much power in the public health care system.
I'd be interested in comments from all three of our guests today on whether money is the solution or whether we have a structural problem within health care, which, if we don't address at the federal level.... It's not a case of not getting off life-support; it will crash and burn.