Mr. Chairman, it is a pleasure to participate in this take note debate in the House tonight. It is an important opportunity for all members to discuss the review of the Canadian health care system by the Romanow Commission.
I rise this evening to participate in this special take note debate on the future of health care in Canada. As all members are aware, on April 4, 2001, the Prime Minister announced the creation of the commission on the future of health care in Canada, to be chaired by former Saskatchewan premier Mr. Roy Romanow. Commissioner Romanow's mandate is to “recommend policies and measure to ensure over the long term the sustainability of our universally accessible, publicly funded health system that offers quality services to Canadians”.
His mandate could not be more important. This is clear from the overwhelming public involvement in the commissioner's activities over the past few months as he has undertaken the second and final phase of his work, a dialogue with the Canadian public and interested stakeholders. The commissioner has heard thoughtful and carefully considered submissions from citizens about their experiences within the health care system, including members of aboriginal communities, and from health care providers about the challenges they face in providing care to the best of their abilities.
This take note debate and the commissioner's recent public meetings with members of parliament, unprecedented, by the way, in the history of royal commissions in this country, are equally a reflection of the importance of this work.
Allow me, Mr. Chairman, to recognize and thank my colleagues in the House for the time and effort they have taken to consult with their constituents about the renewal of our health care system and to communicate their views to the commissioner and to me. I invite them to continue this very important work.
I also want to acknowledge the important contributions to this national debate made by recent provincial and territorial commissions and public consultations, by the National Health Forum in 1997 and by the Senate Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology, led by Senator Michael Kirby.
The challenge we all face, citizens, Commissioner Romanow, members of parliament, our provincial and territorial colleagues and others, is to renew and reinvigorate our cherished health care system so that we can all have confidence that it will be there for us when we need it, providing timely access to high quality care.
Members will understand that I am not in a position this evening to talk about the specific steps we should take to improve our health care system. For that, we must await the delivery of Commissioner Romanow's final report in November and the careful deliberations that will follow. What I can and do want to talk about right now, though, is values.
I agree with Commissioner Romanow, as he has stated many times through the course of his public hearings, that the health care renewal debate is first and foremost a debate about values. As a nation we face three very tough questions. What should our health care system include? How should our health care services be delivered? How should we pay for our health care system?
As members of parliament charged with the responsibility of giving voice to the concerns and opinions of our constituents, our starting point in answering these questions has to be this fundamental question: What values do Canadians want to see reflected in their health care system?
What I hear Canadians saying loud and clear is that their core values are shared risk and equality of access. Taken together, these values may be equated to a strong sense of solidarity. It is through our health care system, better than anything else in the minds of most Canadians, that we reflect our solidarity with each other, with our family members, within our communities, as between our provinces and territories, and within our country. We also know that Canadians want a health care system that is publicly administered. The government must and will keep these core values foremost in its mind as we move forward.
Canadians also put a very high premium on the need for the federal government to demonstrate leadership in creating and maintaining national standards that give shape to the bedrock values of shared risk and equality of access. The government of Prime Minister Pearson played an historic role in this regard, introducing the Hospital Insurance and Diagnostic Services Act, which received unanimous support as it passed into law on April 10, 1957, and provided the foundation of our national public and universal health care system.
The government takes very seriously its responsibilities as guardian of the governing principles of our health care system as set out in the Canada Health Act: universality, accessibility, comprehensiveness, public administration and portability. This is a challenge within our federation, in which the provinces and territories are primarily responsible for the delivery of health care on a day to day basis. It is, however, a challenge that can and will be met with good faith and respect on all sides.
Canadians are fed up with governments arguing with one another over blame, money and jurisdiction, worrying that the object of this bickering, their most cherished social program, is sliding away from them for lack of concerted action on the part of those entrusted to govern. The federal government will not let Canadians down.
Canadians are pragmatic in the very best sense of that word. They understand that our health care system is not functioning as well as it can or should and they are realistic about the need for change. They are prepared to make the changes necessary to ensure that our health care system is sustainable for the future, as long as those changes are consistent with their values.
On these very important questions, I look forward to the advice I will receive from Commissioner Romanow when he delivers his final report in November of this year. I obviously also look forward to the views of members of the House on all sides this evening. For all of us, citizens, health care providers, members of parliament and our provincial and territorial colleagues, the process of health care renewal that lies ahead will put a premium on our intelligence, our goodwill and our spirit of partnership. I am confident that we will once more rise to the challenge.