Mr. Speaker, I advise my hon. friend that unless I have a lobotomy I will never join the NDP. He is absolutely correct that poor people in the United States are waiting six months. I am not defending that program. He also has to know that in Canada poor people and rich people are waiting six months. That is what is wrong with our medicare program. We have to make some changes to it.
I do not disagree with his party. Medicare needs more funding in Canada. My party said all during the election that medicare needed $2 billion more. We still say that, just as we say it for education. To try to compare Canada and the U.S. in that area, we are waiting as long as they are. There is no question that the wealthier people in the United States, those who pay for medicare, do not have to wait very long and poor people do, but that is not a comparison. In this country we all wait six months no matter what our status.