Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for what she had to say and the goodwill she shows on the House of Commons' Standing Committee on Health.
Like her, I acknowledge that health is of course a provincial jurisdiction. I am just back from Saint John, New Brunswick, where professionals in the delivery of health services are getting together. There are three national, Canada-wide associations from all the provinces and all the territories, including Quebec. These people recognize the need to get together and see whether they have things in common on which they can work.
On the national, Canada-wide level, when you look at treatment, research and service strategies, there is a chance here to get together and develop strategies for avoiding duplication of research and development. This is an opportunity for people to familiarize themselves with the best practices in any province or community. People have to get together to exchange views. There can be coordination on the national level, with a view of course to the competencies in all the jurisdictions, in order to review the whole question of research and funding.
There are some provinces, territories or communities that might have fewer resources than others, less capacity to pay. That is true of the Atlantic provinces and it is often true of Quebec, to which the government provides financial transfers.
I think that the member should recognize the fact that when the 10 year health plan was developed, the Government of Quebec signed the agreement. It signed the accord.
Would the member not agree that there might be a way, regarding this national strategy—say for chronic illnesses for example—to have a national approach, a Canada-wide approach, which respects provincial competencies and jurisdictions of course.