Quebec has indicated the costs so far are over $10 million, so we're certainly talking about tens of millions of dollars in additional costs to the health care system.
Now, what we've been struggling with around this committee is that there seems to be a lot of response from the government.... Well, certainly it took three months to get a letter out, but generally, the government says it's concerned. But when we actually press the government on what it has done, I think the total to date is something in the order of $6 million budgeted--not even spent at this point--to address this crisis. That's a lot of smoke and mirrors, but you have to wonder, where's the beef?
Do you believe that this $6 million, if it indeed has been spent, is adequate given the size and scope of this crisis right across the country? There's the personal suffering, certainly, but when we look at the cost to the health care system across the country as well, do you think that's adequate? And do you think it's fair that it would take three months for a minister just to reply to a letter from the health minister in charge of the largest province in the country?