Mr. Speaker, I presume from the final remarks of the member that members opposite consider this to be a free vote issue. I would hope that if arguments are presented to them which are cogent they would consider voting with the government when it comes to the test before the House.
I would like to draw the hon. member's attention to an analogy.
In 1986 there is no doubt that the Red Cross should have done something about the blood products because screening procedures were available and the whole issue about liability revolves on the fact that action was not taken at a time when it could have been taken.
However, I would point out to members opposite that there is a clear analogy between having this medical technology available in 1986 and not using it and not having it available to the victims of hepatitis C before 1986.
I draw the hon. member's attention to parallels like the Salk vaccine. Would he propose that those who had polio or who suffered from the consequences of polio should have been compensated by the government when the Salk vaccine was introduced? Is he suggesting that all those who were suffering from the disease before the arrival of the vaccine should have been compensated, even though the vaccine was not available at the time they contracted the disease?
It is exactly the same with insulin. Diabetes was a great killer and a great maimer of people several decades ago. Insulin was discovered by Sir Frederick Banting. It became available. Do we assume that the government is therefore liable to all those people who suffered from the disease before the vaccine was available or before the medical technology was available to address that disease?
Penicillin is a great example. Penicillin was known and available but was not widely used by the medical profession when it could have been the answer to all kinds of diseases of the day. Does it mean because penicillin had been invented but was not widely available in all medical communities that everyone was liable because of something that was not yet in common use?
I hope they listen very carefully because we are coming to exactly the same situation now with antibiotics. The efficiency of antibiotics is deteriorating rapidly. Are we going to hold governments responsible if a specific antibiotic is prescribed for tuberculosis but no longer works? Are we going to hold the government liable for a failure of medical technology?
The government can only be liable when it can affect the outcome, when it can make the wrong decision that creates the liability.
As much as our heart goes out to those suffering who contracted hepatitis C before 1986, the reality is that the government could not have done anything about it at the time and, therefore, the government cannot be held accountable for it, in the same way that the government cannot be held accountable for all the polio victims and all the people suffering from tuberculosis who will not get a result from the vaccine.