Mr. Speaker, I listened with interest to the hon. member's comments. However, I think he is missing what to me is the basic point, which is that we have gaps in our coverage.
I represent a riding that starts in an urban area and extends out to a rural area. I represent retired people and working people. I want to give the member two examples of a lack of coverage.
A couple who live in the rural area of my riding wrote to me to say:
Since we retired, we haven't been able to afford all of our medications.
From the other end of my riding, the urban end, someone who is working says:
I use the food bank most weeks because all of my money is used up for the drugs I need for my diabetes and blood pressure.
Would the member not agree that all the good things he has talked about have not solved this problem? What we need is a universal pharmacare program to make sure all Canadians get the full benefit of our health care system.