Madam Speaker, yes, I blame the Liberal government. But Reform members who are advocating and talking about accommodating the notion of a parallel private health care system are seeking the same objective as the Liberal government. Both parties are seeking the dismantling and erosion of medicare to the point where we will have nothing but an Americanized, privatized two tier health care system.
Our plea today is to reverse this agenda. The federal budget made a tiny step in that direction by putting back some of the money it took out of the system in 1993. But it is not enough to stop that encroachment on the private sector. It is not enough to stop the waiting lists. It is not enough to ensure access to quality health care services for all Canadians. It is not enough to take the stress off nurses who feel they are not able to perform their lifelong goal of providing quality care for patients because of the financial pressures on the system.
If we all share that goal and for the sake of medicare, if the Reform Party truly accepts this notion of the universally accessible publicly administered health system, then for goodness' sake let us join together in convincing the government that it must reverse the trend. The government must ensure there is adequate support for the provinces in our health system. The government must show leadership to ensure that the principles of the health care act apply to every aspect of our health care system to stop the emergence of a private two tier health care system.