Mr. Speaker, I have no doubt that the suggestion I made or the sonographer made is a practical solution that most people would like the government to adopt. We recognize that there is a great deal of bureaucracy in this process. However, at the end of the day, the federal government is responsible for the health of aboriginal people and first nations.
The government has spent much money moving patients to permanent scanners, which costs more than this solution does.
Additionally, when the program seeks a replacement sonographer, the pool, as I indicated, will be limited to those who can both perform the specialized work and lug around a couple of hundred pounds of equipment too.
Finally, equipment available today may not be in the future, and costs only go in one direction for highly technical machines.
As I said before, we could be proud of the outcomes we have achieved on the Nishnawbe Aski Nation, but we should also look to achieve those at the best possible price. To have additional machines in these communities is the one that makes more sense, because the more we lug machines around, the more chances there are that something will break.
Will the Minister of Health find a way to address this issue and ensure best maternal health outcomes at the best possible price?