Mr. Speaker, I rise on behalf of a number of people in my riding who are very concerned about hospice palliative care. They believe it improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing the problems associated with life-threatening illness. Palliative care provides relief from pain and other distressing symptoms, and affirms life regarding dying as a normal process that intends to neither hasten nor postpone death.
Unfortunately, it is not specifically mentioned in the Canada Health Act, and it is not accessible and available to all Canadians. Therefore, petitioners are calling on the government to specifically identify hospice palliative care as a defined medical service covered by the Canada Health Act, so that provincial and territorial governments would be entitled to funds under the Canada health transfer system to be used to provide accessible and available hospice palliative care for all residents of Canada in their respective provinces and territories.