Mr. Speaker, in December I asked the Minister of Health what he would do about the doctor shortage in Canada. According to a Fraser Institute report, the shortage of doctors has increased exponentially since 1993, interestingly enough since the Liberals took office. When I asked the minister this question, he avoided a direct answer. Under the Liberal government, we have seen nothing but incompetence.
We just heard a Liberal backbencher bring forward a motion to have the credentials of foreign-trained professionals dealt with in a more timely manner. That is from a Liberal, and now we see this throughout the system. There is a crisis in our health care system for human resources, particularly doctors and specialists.
At the time there was a big issue about the fact that the government seemed to have no problem letting strippers into the country, but made it difficult for doctors to come to Canada. The few doctors who do make it into the country cannot get their credentials to practise the profession. This is one of the issues causing a major crisis in our health care system, and it is acknowledged by a member of the Liberal party.
The minister talks about it. Previous Liberal ministers have talked about this issue, and nothing has happened. The crisis has expanded under Liberal governance.
I would like to point out that the Liberals cut $25 billion out of the health care system in 1995. It is the Liberal government that is responsible for the health care crisis we have today. Now we hear that it is putting some moneys in from the health accord and that this will be done over the next 10 years, et cetera. However, let us not forget that the Liberal government caused the crisis in the first place.
The fact that the Liberals have refused to deal with this issue has caused a lot of suffering for many people in Canada. The fact that the Liberals chose to let in strippers rather than doctors suggests the government does not have its priorities straight.
When will the Liberals get their act together? We just a few minutes ago we heard from a Liberal backbencher that the government was not acting fast enough. That is not a surprise to Canadians. What will the government do to ensure that we have proper doctors and specialists to serve the public?