Mr. Speaker, Canadians are very much attached to their public and universal health system.
It is the responsibility of the Canadian government to ensure that the five principles for health care set out in the Canada Health Act are respected. These are: accessibility, portability, universality, public administration and public funding.
In the 1999 budget, the Government of Canada earmarked $11.5 billion over five years for strengthening and modernizing our health system.
In that context, the Liberal government calls for the collaborative efforts of all of the Canadian provinces in order to provide the best possible services throughout the country.
With a united effort we are going to improve health services, in the interests of enhancing the quality of life in all of the regions of Canada.