Mr. Speaker, I am certainly concerned about the member's comments about Mr. Romanow and his report. I come from that province. During the Romanow regime, 53 hospitals were closed in that province.
In my particular riding today, in the city of Prince Albert, we have lost 16 doctors who we cannot replace. A third party has been monitoring our health care system and giving a report card. The average waiting period in Saskatchewan for surgery is now 29 months. Imagine taking a car to a service station and being told to bring it back in 29 months for the engine to be fixed or repaired. For MRIs, 22 months are the highest waits for what should be automatic, like an X-ray machine, especially if one has cancer. Most Saskatchewan people are going to Minot, Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta to get their MRIs.
Does the hon. member for Burnaby--Douglas think governments should be prohibiting people from gaining MRIs from Minot, Edmonton and Calgary private clinics for the betterment of their health--