Mr. Speaker, members can see, as I extend my hand, that I can nearly hold hands with the member for Whitby. He is in a different party. I sit here because I am assigned to sit here, but he is a friend.
I wanted to say that the chance to support this bill is important for me as a member of the Green Party because we were the first party in this place to call for dental care to be included in our public health system, specifically to start with low-income children, because it is an expensive package. We had it costed by the Parliamentary Budget Officer. We know it is not something anyone can put in the first budget, so I thank my friends in the New Democratic Party and the Liberal Party for getting this in front of us.
In the context of the health care crisis, yes, we definitely need to understand that dental care is health care, and when people cannot afford dental care, it causes larger problems throughout the body. By the way, I do not have a family doctor, and I am 68. My husband is 74 and he does not have a family doctor either. We have not been able to get checkups. I am a little worried about the state of health writ large in this country, and I am worried about the threat of privatization.
I wonder if the hon. member for Whitby has thoughts on what we should be doing to ensure the wheels do not fall off the bus with health care across Canada.