Mr. Chair, I want to respond to some of the comments that the parliamentary secretary just made about the glowing account of how great health care is in this country.
In my home province of Manitoba, we have had a problem with hallway medicine, extended waiting times and not being able to get in through emergency systems. Under the current system, because of a lack of funding from the federal government and lack of administration in the provincial government, we have had a problem now that has turned from hallway medicine into highway medicine, where people in the rural areas cannot get any service and have to come into the city of Winnipeg to get any service at all. People in the city of Brandon have to go to Winnipeg to get any service from specialists.
What is the minister doing from his standpoint to ensure that the provinces are holding up their end of the bargain and implementing better health care for all rural residents?