Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to reply to the question.
Let me start by saying that the federal government, along with the provincial and territorial governments, offered $1.1 billion to compensate the patients for whom the disease could have been avoided from 1986 to 1990.
This was a decision arrived at by all provincial governments including the two NDP governments of British Columbia and Saskatchewan. It is not a package that was given without careful and thoughtful consideration for the victims of hepatitis C for whom the disease could have been avoided.
If we extend the package to those in the absence of fault, we ought to extend the compensation as well for all kinds of diseases as a consequence of injury from blood, not only hepatitis C but even allergies or even shock from blood transfusions.
The hon. member who raised the question has not told the House that she has approached the NDP premiers of Saskatchewan and British Columbia. Neither has she told the House that she has approached the health ministers of British Columbia and Saskatchewan, her own NDP counterparts.
If the federal NDP member has a commitment to change the package announced by the government, why has she not informed the House that she has already spoken to those NDP premiers and NDP governments?
The NDP minister of health in Saskatchewan has said that those who use this issue for the point alone as indicated by the NDP member are using political opportunism.