Mr. Chair, it seems to me that the minister or the federal government would have a lot more control and a lot more influence over many issues having to do with drugs if in fact the government had proceeded with its own election promise and responded to the proposal by the premiers for a national pharmacare program.
Earlier the minister raised questions about Internet pharmacies. If the federal government was in charge of pharmacare in this country and if that Liberal promise had been kept, or if the premiers' proposal had been responded to, does the minister not think he would be in a much better position to deal with this than he is now, having to deal at several arms' lengths with this issue?