Madam Chair, I agree with the member on the issue of medical graduates. There is no question about it. This government has allowed the situation for medical graduates to become a crisis situation.
I think the member and I would both agree that education is the best investment society can make in an individual and the best investment an individual can make in themselves. Certainly an education in the medical profession is a great way to spend one's life and contribute to Canadian society.
I do have one question for the member. Would she agree that the Liberal Party has failed abysmally on this issue and also that it is the party that is responsible for the medical graduate shortage? That is one question.
I wonder if the member would also agree that there are situations when a patient is unable to see the doctor. I know that after my accident there were times, due to other factors like getting proper attending care and so on, that I was not even able to get out of the bed but I needed prescriptions. I did not see the doctor but I was able to get the prescriptions. There may be issues such as that of a nurse visiting a patient living in a care home. The patient is obviously ill, the nurse phones the physician and the physician may or may not talk to the patient.
I wonder if the government has considered those types of scenarios. I wonder if there are situations in remote communities where nurse practitioners often have authority for prescriptions. I wonder if the member is concerned about unintended consequences on the third plank that the government is proposing: that there must be face to face consultation. In many cases, it just not practical.
Could the member comment on those points?