Department Of Health Act  Mr. Speaker, I want first to make a few comments on the hon. member's speech and then ask her a question. The hon. member gave us a wonderful history of what has happened since 1919. At the end of that history, the hon. member mentioned it culminated in what we now know as Canadian medicare, which I hasten to say was enacted by a Liberal prime minister.

Department Of Health Act  Mr. Speaker, I would like to comment on medicare and on the way the system is to be restructured. It would deal, as my hon. colleague said just, with some of the structural changes that are necessary to move the system into the 21st century. The cost of medicare and the changing of some of the ways that the system works, as I said in my speech and as the hon. member just reiterated, have to do with the fact that there are national concerns and a national interest in a new national Department of Health.

Department Of Health Act  Mr. Speaker, I want to take this opportunity to comment on some of the things the hon. member for Macleod had to say in his speech. I notice the hon. member is not here.

Department Of Health Act  I apologize, Mr. Speaker. I would like to comment on the statements of the hon. member for Macleod. With all due respect to William Shakespeare, methinks the hon. member doth protest too much in his speech when he continued to repeat over and over that the Reform Party did not mean to have a U.S. medical system, that the third party supported medicare.

Quebec Referendum  Mr. Speaker, the recent Quebec referendum was like the proverbial Chinese two-sided coin. It created on the one side a feeling of deep anxiety and on the other it awakened a sense of national pride in all Canadians. Even though the margin of victory was narrow, in the end we were all winners.

Department Of Health Act  Mr. Speaker, I rise with great pleasure to speak in support of Bill C-95, a bill to create Canada's Department of Health. I want to say a word about the referendum this week. Like many members of this House, I am pleased with the result, but I do not want to downplay the challenges that lie ahead of us.

Controlled Drugs And Substances Act  Mr. Speaker, I am distressed to hear the hon. member make the statements he did because I agree in every way with what he has said with regard to young people and the use of drugs. As a family physician, I can tell members that nothing has been of greater concern and has caused me more pain over my 25 years of practice.

Controlled Drugs And Substances Act  Mr. Speaker, I would like to respond briefly to the two very important points the hon. member just made. One had to do with herbal remedies. It was the last one, so I will deal with it first. I will be very quick. There never was in Bill C-7 anything that impacted on the use of herbal remedies in health food stores.

Controlled Drugs And Substances Act  Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in support of Bill C-7. The revisions to the bill, the changes made since it passed second reading in the House, combine two quite different approaches to the control of drugs. The approaches are different but they are actually complementary. The first enshrines an attitude of tolerance, compassion and concern for the drug addicted person.

Controlled Drugs And Substances Act  Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak to the third party amendment to clause 60 of Bill C-7. I agree with the hon. member the bill is a complex and at times controversial bill. All parties were eventually unanimous in the substantive changes and amendments to the bill that improve the bill a great deal.

Canada Health Act  Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak on Private Members' Bill C-284, an act to amend the Canada Health Act. Let me say at the outset that I am extremely sympathetic and supportive of the plight and concerns of emergency response workers. Their devotion to preserving and protecting the lives of others often puts them unwittingly at risk of injury or exposure to disease.

Quebec Referendum  Mr. Speaker, last night, two very important messages were delivered to the people of Canada. On the one hand, they heard the Prime Minister of Canada calmly but seriously describe the country's situation as the referendum date approaches and what major impact a Yes victory would have.

Grandparents Day  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to support the motion of my colleague, the hon. member for Don Valley North, to designate the second Sunday in September grandparents day. I have spoken out on the significance of grandparents in the House on a number of occasions. Grandparents play an irreplaceable role in the life of Canadian families.

British Columbia Treaty Commission  Mr. Speaker, the last speaker was concerned about the word ignorance. I would not use that word but would use the term misunderstanding and misinformation. I have heard members of the third party mention a few things which I perceive to be a complete misunderstanding of what this commission is being set up to do.

British Columbia Treaty Commission Act  Mr. Speaker, obviously three parties participate in the process: the Government of British Columbia, the Government of Canada and the summit. These three parties have to agree on what the framework will be to set up the whole treaty organization process. That takes a long time.