Mr. Chair, the Minister of Health started off talking mostly about the CIHR as well.
The member will know that the CIHR is not accountable and is not reportable to Parliament, other than an annual report. Its predecessor organization, the medical research council, was replaced by the CIHR because it had become set in its ways and the old boys network had its own pet projects and was not prepared to move forward.
The issue for the member to address is why the Conservative members are only talking about research down the road? Why has not one of them talked about treatment? MS patients are at high risk of CCSVI. That disqualifies them from treatment, even from private clinics.
How does that give people hope, when it is available to others who may have that? How does it give them hope if they are denied, saying it is a provincial responsibility and we will depend on the CIHR to come up with some interesting research projects and maybe a generation from now we might be able to show that this kind of treatment is okay for MS patents?
How can the member rationalize his position of no treatment, no help for people with MS?