Mr. Speaker, the hon. member does make an excellent point. Our party's main point is there has to be a stable funding program on a long term basis, a program which will allow the departments of health in the provinces to have a long term plan. This is not an industry or a business that can have a six month plan or even a five year plan. The planning has to go much further than that. To do that the government has to provide stable funding.
On the pharmacare issue, the member brought up a really good point. Let me read from the Liberal red book two of 1997. “The Liberal government endorses pharmacare as a long term national objective”. I am sure the hon. member will be pleased to hear that. It goes on to say, “Some provinces are already developing a system of drug care. We will work with our provincial partners to ensure that all Canadians have access to medically necessary drugs within the public health care system”. The hon. member's problem will be solved because surely the Liberals will honour all their promises in the red book.
It goes on to say, “The federal government has a role to play in bringing together its provincial and territorial partners”. This is strange because it refused to meet with its provincial and territorial partners on the health care issue, but if it says so in the red book, it must be true.