Mr. Speaker, after a three year wait the government has finally reached an agreement with the provinces on a Canada Health Act dispute settlement mechanism, a mechanism we have been calling for since it was promised back in the 1999 Social Union Agreement.
We should consider naming the mechanism after the former health minister. It was his confrontational attitude in dealing with the provinces that made it necessary in the first place. This announcement follows the Liberal pattern of being big on promises and slow to act.
The continued lack of leadership has left us with more bad news days to come in the future. We are still facing a severe shortage of health care providers. Stable funding for the provinces is nowhere in sight. The waiting lists for surgeries are continuing to grow.
We welcome this dispute mechanism and hope the new minister will show some leadership on her health file and never have to use it.