Mr. Speaker, if we want to put a simple question, we will get a simple answer.
We want to continue to strengthen the system of medicare that we brought in many years ago, based on the good idea of Tommy Douglas. We want to continue with that. We want to strengthen the Canada Health Act. We want to ensure we have a system that is here for the 21st century needs of patients so they can get care when they need it. That means taking the infrastructure of the system and working to build it in a different way.
It does not just mean money. We continue to talk about money. We continue to focus on one of the small factors involved. It is like people who suggest that if I do not eat trans fats in foods I will lose weight and never get heart disease. Trans fats are only one small factor in the whole issue of lowering cholesterol, having a healthy heart and living a healthy lifestyle. There are many other things involved.
We need to talk about those other things, all the pieces that come together to make up that continuum of care that we need to deliver, knowing that as a federal government we do not have the ability to deliver those services. We have to work with the provinces. We have to set up a true partnership. We cannot be a cash cow anymore, where we hand over money with no strings attached and it goes into general revenue and we do not know where it goes. We do not want to do that anymore. We want to build a relationship based on trust and on mutual objectives.
Our Prime Minister has committed to that. He intends to do that at the first ministers meeting in the summer. He wants to build some real partnerships for the provinces and the federal government to work together in the best interests of Canadians.
I want to be clear on this issue. I think I gave a clear answer to the motion. For us, it is a huge and complex issue and we want to go into every area and do what we need to do as a government to ensure that this system is here not only for our children but for our grandchildren as well.
We want to ensure that the outcomes will be measurable and will increase the health status of Canadians. We want to ensure that the system will be there for them at all times when they need it, especially in the first few years of life and the last few years of life when health care services are most needed. We want to be creating healthy populations. We also want to deal with sectors that have specifically low health status and very difficult problems, such as the aboriginal sector. We have committed new moneys to that. We continue to work with the aboriginal people to improve their health status and give them access to care when they need it.