Mr. Speaker, in December of 1989 our Progressive Conservative government announced a compensation package for all victims of HIV tainted blood. This package was universal and compassionate. Justice Horace Krever in his report asked that a compensation package for hepatitis C victims be universal and the health minister himself promised these victims that it would be compassionate. This package is neither.
The health minister put on his lawyer's hat and drew an arbitrary line of January 1, 1986, not based on doing what is right, but doing what he thinks he can get away with. The result is that 40,000 innocent victims, who through no fault of their own were infected with this fatal disease, are being abandoned by this heartless health minister who cares more about the government's wallet than he does about our health care system.
When thousands of Canadians, through no fault of their own, suffered as a result of the Saguenay and Manitoba floods did the government say “It is not our fault so we will not pay”? No. It helped everyone.
When millions of Canadians suffered injuries as a result of the ice storms in eastern Ontario, Quebec and the maritimes this year did the government try to weasel out of helping those victims because it did not cause the disaster? No. It put together a compensation package that was universal and compassionate.
Just this morning the immigration minister stated “If you stand on principle and have political courage then you must be willing to pay the price”. I could not agree more. Unfortunately, the government has demonstrated that it is completely devoid of principles, has no courage and is definitely not willing to pay the price.
For the last month the health minister has tried to hide behind the ten provinces who, because of the 40% cut in health transfers, had no choice but to sign on to his bargain basement package. Now we see that the health minister's house of cards is beginning to fall.
Yesterday the Quebec National Assembly passed a unanimous resolution calling on the government to compensate all hepatitis C victims. This morning the province of Ontario, this afternoon the province of Alberta and about half an hour ago the province of British Columbia echoed that same request.
The only time this government shows compassion to Canadians is at election time. What is left now for these victims is that they will have to spend precious years of what is left of their lives in court fighting for compensation which they should rightfully receive. Undoubtedly, many will win those court cases and because the government will have to pay millions of dollars in legal fees the package will ultimately end up costing much more than any universal compensation package that could be announced now.
These victims want and deserve to be compensated. Judge Krever wants all victims to be compensated. The provinces want all victims to be compensated. Canadians want all victims to be compensated. Even the Liberal government's own backbenchers want all victims to be compensated.
The question is, will the health minister do the principled thing, do the politically courageous thing, do the right thing and pay the price? From one human being to another, will he renegotiate the hepatitis C compensation package? It is time for this health minister to shape up or ship out.