Mr. Speaker, I think the member for St. Albert really does not get it especially when he advocates competition among insurers. The evidence is absolutely overwhelming that when there is a single public insurer as we have in this country, that is by far the most efficient and cost effective system. The one way we can control costs is when we have one public single insurer.
I was watching an American doctor on CBC television last night. Perhaps the member also saw him. His name was Dr. Katz. He spoke about the American system with competition among insurers which the hon. member champions. He said that the doctors and insurers cherry pick. They are not interested in you if you do not have money and are not wealthy. Can you imagine a system in this country where there was competition among insurers? Does the gentleman from St. Albert really think if he had a long history of heart trouble, the competitive system would be interested in him? Of course not.
The system with competition among insurers is only interested in the healthy and the young. You talk about privatizing the system. That is what you are talking about.