Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate the member, who is the lead health critic of the official opposition, for bringing this subject forward. We know that health care generally is the number one concern for Canadians.
I will have a chance to speak later in greater depth on this, but we can present arguments as to whether we should be funding or allocating directly for specific diseases or a specific strategy or whether we should have a global fund and have peer reviewed competitive research funding.
We are investing considerably, especially in cardiovascular and cancer research, through the Canadian Institute for Health Research and its specific institutes within that through the Canadian Foundation for Innovation and through the research channels. In many ways, assets that are out there financed by the federal government are working toward those strategies.
We could argue whether that is the way to go or whether we should have dedicated funding. The problem with dedicated funding is that we have to start to pick and choose among diseases. I do not know that there are many out there that do not deserve funding. Many of the groups are working toward their funding, so we have a competitive process and I will get to that later.
However, the question I have for the member and where I agree with him, is that as a nation we are failing on the question of mental illness. I will not be so political as to point to any individual party, order of government or any level of government because it is a very difficult issue. It has been a taboo type issue across the country and does not necessarily have the proper structures interprovincially.
If I were to have a heart attack in any province of this country, I would be taken care of properly and then I would worry about which province would pay. If I were to have a mental breakdown, I am not so sure that I would get the same level of care. We have to work together.
A lot of people, like Michael Wilson, were advising the Minister of Health. There are a lot of people working on it across the country. I think we have to go further at all levels of government and I would ask the member for his comments on this subject.