Mr. Speaker, first, I want to remind the member, in case she has forgotten, that we are the Canadian Alliance and we are very proud of that.
Second, why are we staying on the HRDC issue? I remind the member that this government gave more money in this fiscal year to grants and contributions under HRDC than it gave to health care. That is why we are questioning it. We do not believe in that program and we think we need to look at it again and redirect money into core programs, such as health care.
Do I believe a private for profit health care system is inflammatory? Yes. We have specialists in the public health care system who get paid very well, as they should. If they can also earn a living in a private setting and do just as good a job, then we should be open to that. I believe in my heart that the status quo is not going to work.
Let us listen to the people who want to try new ideas. This is not about politics, this is about something that is very dear to Canadians. We have to be open to new ideas. We have to look at how we deliver health care. We have to make sure we can afford it.
With all respect to the member, the only thing I hear is that we should raise taxes, which I do not agree with. The NDP believes Canadians should be taxed more. Since I have belonged to the Canadian Alliance, formerly the Reform Party of Canada, nobody has ever once suggested that health care should not be available to every single Canadian. It should be available to every single Canadian regardless of their ability to pay. We in this party believe in that principle and we will fight for it. However, we will not have that if we are not open to new ideas, not willing to try new things and if we do not recognize that we have to have the economic prosperity to deliver those programs. If we stay on our present course, public health care will no longer be available. That is a fact.
The issue of health care is something Canadians take seriously. Let us look at it, cut out all the politics and work together to find solutions instead of playing politics with this issue.