Mr. Speaker, that is precisely why a long-term plan by the federal government is needed.
The Minister of Health wants to dump her responsibilities on the provinces. She is acting as if the federal government had no role to play in this. However, as the minister knows, the federal government gives generous tax benefits every year to the pharmaceutical companies to help them boost their profits. What are those tax benefits worth?
In exchange for those gifts, can the Conservatives have the decency to put pressure on these pharmaceutical companies to have a sufficient inventory of drugs at all times and thus protect the health of Canadians?