Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to speak in the House on the matter of public health care in Canada. Many Canadians, I included, hold dearly to the principle of publicly funded health care services for all Canadians.
Several constituents from my riding, namely Helen Heeney, Jay Cody, Donna Kumagai, Judy Rogers, Doug Sneyd and Merle Larsson Totten, were instrumental in the publication of a book entitled Life Before Medicare .
The book was launched on November 21 during an intergenerational ceremony with the Minister of Health in attendance. Through actual life experiences of contributors, the book conveys a sense of sacrifices required of Canadians before universality in health care services became a reality.
Free health services are the sign that a society supports all its members regardless of their financial means. We cannot afford anything less either for ourselves or for future generations. Let us all be courageous and clear-headed enough to oppose those who want free health services to disappear.