Mr. Speaker, it did not help the Canada health services to have the federal government cut as much money as it did a number of years ago.
Umberto's family members in his native Italy were so concerned about the delay in his surgery that they approached Italian doctors who said that they would have operated within seven days, not seven months. Umberto's Italian relatives are horrified that a country like Canada would have a health care system that forces someone to wait so long for life saving treatment.
I think Canadians would like to know as well if this is the type of accessibility to quality health care that the minister is trying to defend.