Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for coming. I know it is inconvenient, but I will continue to drag her and her government here to debate this issue, because what we heard does not match the reality that Canadians are facing.
It is great to hear that British Columbians are getting access to pharmacare. The government says pharmacare is moving ahead, but only four out of five Canadians are accessing it. That is not progress; that is exclusion.
The Liberals say it takes time, but provinces like Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia are ready now, and the federal government is refusing to negotiate. We just heard the parliamentary secretary say it is too expensive, but pharmacare actually saves money for families and for provinces. The real cost is forcing Canadians to go without the medicine they need.
Let us be clear. Mentioning pharmacare once in a major economic update is not a plan. It is a signal that the government is walking away from its promise, and it is not nation building. Canadians were told that this would be a national program, not a patchwork or something determined by postal code. No one in this country should have to choose between paying rent and filling a prescription.
The question remains. When will the government stop delaying, start negotiating and deliver pharmacare for all Canadians?