Mr. Speaker, I will share my time with the member for Winnipeg South.
I am very pleased to take part in today's debate. This dialogue is very timely. The member for Laurier—Sainte-Marie gave his views on the health care debate.
In line with the traditional thinking of his party, he is asking our government to pretend it has no role to play in the health care field. He himself has decided that the federal government could not contribute to improving the health of Canadians in any way other than simply signing cheques. He is mistaken. The fact is, today the Prime Minister is meeting with his provincial and territorial counterparts to look at the social union issue. Indeed reality is quite different from what the member perceives it to be.
Governments know Canadians expect their elected representatives to co-operate. They expect them to present a common front on issues related to the health and the social well-being of Canadians. Today the first ministers' concern is to find the best way to translate their common commitment into action. If there is a single issue that demands a common commitment, it is indeed health care.
Contrary to the figments of the Bloc Quebecois' imagination, in the real world, federal, provincial and territorial governments carry on their respective roles in health care while working together to deal with issues demanding co-ordination and leadership at the national level.
To make it easier for my colleagues in the opposition to understand the situation, I should probably name some concrete measures in the health care field and remind them of intergovernmental co-operation in this area. As we all know, the provinces and territories are responsible for providing day to day health care to Canadians.
This level of government plans its own health care delivery and decides, usually in co-operation with physicians, which services and procedures will be covered by provincial health insurance plan. It sets its priorities, draws up its budgets and negotiates on a wide range of issues with hospitals, physicians, nurses and other stakeholders.
What role is left for the federal government? We all know the position of the Bloc Quebecois, but let us take a look at reality. The federal government has very clear responsibilities in the area of health. And I am not talking about interference in areas of provincial jurisdiction that is recent or that is forthcoming. I am talking about responsibilities that go back to Confederation and that are enshrined in our Constitution.
Let us take health programs for First Nations and for the Inuit for example. The federal government has a clear responsibility to provide health services to the status Indians who live on reserves and to the Inuit. It provides health products and services to those groups and to other eligible individuals. Is that done entirely outside the provincial framework that provides health services to the rest of the population? Of course not.
Once again, the federal government works closely with its provincial and territorial partners. Programs and services are integrated as much as possible to ensure the greatest effectiveness. Effectiveness both at the health outcome and the use of health care resources depends on a knowledge base that is constantly being renewed.
Let us look at the reality of the federal role in health research. That reality is one of a very clear acceptance of the respective roles of both orders of government and a very long history of co-operation.
One of the most soundly conceived provincial research programs in the country is the Fonds de la recherche en santé du Québec. It was designed from the ground up to complement the Medical Research Council of Canada and Health Canada's national health research and development program.
Quebec's program focuses its investment on the development of competitive expertise enabling Quebec researchers to compete successfully for federal research grants. It works and it works to everyone's advantage.
Another example is the needs of children from low income families. The community action program for children and the Canada prenatal nutrition program actively support local initiatives. These initiatives benefit parents, young children and pregnant women who could give birth to underweight babies. Are these examples of federal interference, as the Bloc thinks they are? Of course not.
These initiatives provide financial assistance for community programs and for partnerships with provinces, territories and other interested groups. They are the concrete manifestations of the type of co-operation Canadians expect from their governments.
Since 1957, the federal government has provided funds to the provinces and territories to support health insurance, through a variety of mechanisms over the years.
Today, as we know, the mechanism is the Canada health and social transfer. Contrary to what the Bloc thinks, however, this transfer is not just a cheque sent from Ottawa to the provincial capitals. These funds continue to be governed by the Canada Health Act. Underlying them are a broad range of principles which protect the rights of Canadians as far as health care is concerned.
I would like to remind all hon. members that parliament passed the Canada Health Act in 1984, with the support of all political parties. The principles listed in this act were supported by all parties.
The first principle is accessibility. Canadians can count on reasonable access to medically required care and services.
The second is comprehensiveness. Canadians are entitled to payment of all medically required services provided by physicians and hospitals.
The third principle is universality. All inhabitants of a province or territory are entitled to services, regardless of external factors.
The fourth principle is portability. Canadians are entitled to health care regardless of where in Canada they happened to be when they become ill.
Finally, the fifth principle is public administration, which ensures that only public bodies may administer our health insurance program within a not-for-profit context.
The Canada Health Act has laid down the basic rules for our health insurance program, but we must not be so naive as to believe that harmonization means that there is a single highly rigid system administered by the federal government. The act provides the provinces and territories with great flexibility. It is not a straitjacket.
It says that a province or territory wishing assistance from the federal government must comply with the five principles in the system it chooses. However, the provinces are free to decide how they will provide health care to their citizens.