Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the hon. member's remarks; it was a very good speech. I want the member to comment on the ad hoc approach, the undisciplined approach, the year by year, day by day approach the government has taken in regard to health care for seven years.
The minister this morning when he was in the House talked about this new idea of co-operation and getting together with the health ministers. The government has had seven years to do it. I wonder why the government has waited so long to come up with this so-called meaningful dialogue with the provinces. Obviously the provinces are the primary care givers and an important part of the equation.
I want to couple the lack of funding with the biggest issue before the House in the last month or so, the difficulties within HRDC. If we look at the estimates the Minister of Human Resources Development has received an additional $1.3 billion this year alone. Health care, supposedly the number one issue in Canada, is receiving $2.5 billion over four years. The other point is the minister of HRDC is receiving $200 million in discretionary funding.
Why is there this disjointed approach within the present government in terms of addressing the number one issue, yet giving back money to a department that has clearly mismanaged what it does have?