Mr. Speaker, my constituents of Ottawa Centre, as well as Canadians, remain deeply attached to the core values found at the heart of health care and they want health care to remain a publicly funded and operated system that offers universal service to all Canadians.
Last week I received a call from one of my constituents who grew up in P.E.I. at the time when health care was provided on a private basis and based on a person's ability to pay. He reminded us that our society has already experienced private health care and that any return to the past would effectively end the principle of universal health care for all Canadians.
On behalf of Ottawa Centre, I thank the Prime Minister for taking this excellent initiative and adopting a long term view to preserving our health care system. I also congratulate Mr. Romanow for a job well done.