Mr. Speaker, as members know, I would be more than happy to start fresh. However, I will continue on with something I know Canadians from coast to coast to coast are concerned with, and in particular so are my Bloc friends. My friends in the Bloc like the issue of health care, and maybe this is a good way for me to provide some thoughts in regard to it, because I am very passionate about health care.
I really believe it is, for me personally over the last 30 years as a parliamentarian, probably the number one concern, because I recognize the true value of having national health care. Whether someone lives in Vancouver, Winnipeg, Montreal, Halifax, any other municipality in between or up north, I would like to think there is a certain level of quality public health care no matter where.
Mobility within Canada is critically important. I say that because I made reference to the fact that the national government gives record amounts of money toward health care. I was a provincial politician for 20 years, and throughout those years, it seems, every year provinces asked for more money in health care. There is an expectation that the national government should do more than be an ATM.
In fact I can recall the days when there was a huge tax point transfer. Provinces took a tax point transfer instead of a cash transfer, and I was not a big fan of that. I do not think we should do that, or anything of that nature, into the future. I believe Canadians want a quality health care system. I am very proud of our government, whether it is the Prime Minister or the Minister of Health in particular, and their approach in dealing with health care here in Canada.
As a government we continue to support health care. We want to work with all the different stakeholders, and I look forward to that ongoing debate on health care, in terms of this legislation. This is good, sound and solid legislation that would be there to support Canadians. I wish all members would vote in favour of it.