Mr. Speaker, tomorrow is the big day. Tomorrow the Romanow commission releases its long awaited report on the future of health care.
For the past 18 months Canadians have been actively engaged in the debate. Thanks to new technology it has involved Canadians like never before speaking out about matters that desperately concern them. What they are saying is, “I am Canada, hear me roar, in numbers too big to ignore: health care, public, not private, universal, accessible health care. Is Ottawa listening?”
This week the finance minister callously rejected to unanimously support a recommendation to ease the circumstances of persons with disabilities. All parties in the House agreed to this but one member who ducked the vote may get to decide whether the voices of the people of Canada will be heard.
Canadians have told Roy Romanow the thing they cherish most is equal access to health care for all, that respect for equality is our most basic democratic premise. Tomorrow all Canadians will be measuring whether the government will live up to the democratic values of its citizens.