Mr. Speaker, on April 16, I asked the Minister of Health a question about the False Creek clinic in Vancouver. I will connect the dots a bit.
The False Creek clinic in Vancouver is charging patients hundreds of dollar for urgent care. Urgent care, as it describes it, is emergency like care, which is exactly what the Americans call emergency services.
I asked the minister whether he saw this American-like clinic in Vancouver as being a problem. We have seen many private clinics open across the country in the last number of years, not only under the current federal government but under the previous one. From time to time fines are levied, depending on which province it happens to be. I think B.C. and Ontario have had some fines. I am not aware that Quebec has had any fines.
When I asked my question at that time, the minister told me that he did not see any double standard at all in charging for what were medically necessary services. It seems to me that if an organization is charging for medically necessary services it is in breach of the Canada Health Act. To me that seems to be a problem. At that time, the Minister of Health assured the House that his department was reviewing the situation at False Creek.
I am very concerned about what is happening at that clinic. I am very concerned that we continue to slide down this slippery slope toward an American style health care with the opening of more private clinics and now private clinics charging for medically necessary services, which is absolutely what the Canada Health Act says we cannot do.
I am hoping that perhaps the parliamentary secretary could help me understand, in the next four minutes, two questions. First, why does the minister not think False Creek charging for medically necessary services is a problem. Second, why is that not in conflict with the Canada Health Act?
Perhaps he could spend the other two minutes explaining to me when we will hear back about the things that the ministry is looking into, things that have been raised in the House that are not a problem but are being looked into. I am not quite sure why, if it is not a problem, people are looking into it.
I am also looking for a timetable. When will we hear back about False Creek? When will we hear back from people looking into St. Paul's Hospital selling MRIs to people in off hours? When will we see a report come back to the House about those issues that are not a problem but which the ministry is looking into.
I am very concerned about the proliferation of private clinics and I look forward to the parliamentary secretary's answers to my two questions.