Madam Speaker, with all due respect to the leader of the third party, he has certainly spoken of broken promises and has gone on at great length about it.
Speaking of broken promises, during the election and following I can recall the leader of the Reform Party stating: "I want to make it absolutely clear that the Reform Party is not promoting private health care, deductibles or user fees". Yet, today what is he talking about? Deductibles, user fees, getting more and more private. That was yesterday; this is today. Talk about breaking promises.
I can recall the Reform Party rhetoric during the last election. How does the hon. member explain his change of thinking or his whole party's change in rhetoric? How, pray tell, would that ensure that people who needed the care got it based on their need and not on whether they could afford to pay for it.
Let us face it. This is from a party that does not advocate any taxation increases whatsoever. Taxes are based on fairness. If you make more money, you pay more tax. They are proposing a tax on illness. The sicker you are, the more costly it is for you. What kind of a system is that? I would like an explanation.
How would the leader of the Reform Party deal with people who are very ill who, by the way, tend to be the poorest? Usually those who are very sick cannot work anymore. He might be charitable to a few and there would be these core services; maybe you could have a band-aid if you could not afford to pay
for it. What kind of medicare is he proposing except the American style of system? And we know what that is about.