Madam Speaker, I want to thank my friend from Prince George for his comments. His constituents ought to know of the very hard work he has done in trying to get physicians and other medical personnel in Prince George and at the place where I work.
Prince George is the major trauma centre for the northern half of British Columbia. I have been working there on and off since 1988. There have been periods, for example over Christmas, where for three or four days in a major trauma centre we did not have any orthopedic coverage for 200,000 people. In fact half of the specialist coverage was not there. We simply did not have it at that time. That is still a problem.
I want my friend to describe the situation he finds not only in Prince George but in his rural riding of northern B.C. because it affects rural ridings across the country. Perhaps he could comment on the lack of basic health care resources for his constituents and how to ensure that they have the proper care they desperately require. Perhaps he could comment on the pain and suffering they endure because of the lack of resources in the hospital and in his community at this point in time.