Supply  Madam Speaker, I was a little disturbed by the last part of the hon. member's speech. He can correct me if I am wrong, but I understood the member to say that he would like to see national medicare disbanded and provinces deal with provinces in terms of issues such as portability.

Supply  Madam Speaker, the hon. member made the comment that provinces obviously do not like the system and the way the Canada Health Act was imposed by the government on British Columbia when it was breaking the act. I would like the hon. member to name one province that has not supported all the principles of the Canada Health Act roundly within the last four months.

Supply  Mr. Speaker, typical of the third party is the sentimentality, the rhetoric, the lack of any real fact but let us spew it anyway. Let us do the emotional dance on people. I would like to ask the hon. member if he could give me clear statistical data which shows that the outcome in acute care is not one of the highest and best in the world, that people who clinically need care are not getting it.

Supply  Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. member for rewriting the history of medicare a bit. Some people would argue that it was Saskatchewan and others would say it was Quebec, but that is a moot point. The hon. member mentioned money. We keep hearing about money being a factor in providing effective health care.

Supply  Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his question. What is wrong with setting up private clinics so that people who want to pay can pay? We only have to look at the United States where people who want to pay can pay and buy as much as they want whether or not they need it and people who cannot afford it have inadequate and inappropriate access to health care.

Supply  Madam Speaker, I rise to speak with a mixture of emotions. There is some confusion, some humour, and some sadness. I am confused that members of the third party would bring forth this kind of motion when it so clearly contraindicates everything they have ever said in the past during their campaign and even during their proposed budget earlier this year.

Supply  Madam Speaker, the hon. member put forward an eloquent speech, wonderful rhetoric. It shows a depth though of the superficiality of the understanding of what health care is all about and what the five principles of medicare actually mean. I would not like to add any further rhetoric but to say that with this lack of understanding would the hon. member like to explain to me what he understands by the meaning of the term "core services".

National Solidarity Day For The Aboriginal Peoples Of Canada Act  Madam Speaker, the hon. member asks a very interesting and a very pertinent question. It is one in which we are very interested at Health Canada, mainly because it has to do with the issue of the health of Canadians and of Canadian women. Before I speak any further on the issue, I want to tell the hon. member that the issue of the number of services delivered has to do mostly with provincial governments and the medical profession.

Canadian Cancer Society  Mr. Speaker, it is April and spring is here, at least in British Columbia. The daffodils are in full bloom and so is the Canadian Cancer Society's fundraising campaign. Since 1938 the Canadian Cancer Society has tried to eradicate cancer and sought to better the lives of people suffering from this terrible disease.

Mining Industry  Mr. Speaker, we all believe that developing a strong economic base for this country is the key to global competitiveness. As a British Columbian, I urge the members of this House to recognize the importance of the mining industry to all Canadians. The government's 1995 budget made a first step toward improving our mining industry's ability to maintain and create jobs for Canadians.

Firearms Act  Madam Speaker, not only is it an honour for me to speak to the bill, I am enthusiastic and I would like to applaud something that is long overdue. The bill addresses the health and safety of Canadians. As Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health, health and safety are extremely important to me.

Vision Awareness Week  Mr. Speaker, it is important for me to bring to the attention of the House that March 6 to March 11 is Vision Awareness Week in Canada. This year's theme is "Hope is in sight: good vision and literacy, there is a clear connection". It is a sad fact that many Canadians cannot read well simply because they cannot see well.

The Budget  Madam Speaker, although the member made a nice little speech prior to his question that I would like to comment on, I will respond to his question first. The hon. member is asking me if I will opt out of the pension plan because he sees it as a way of being responsible. There are many ways of being responsible.

The Budget  Madam Speaker, I would like to respond first to the statement the hon. member made about health. Many studies have shown now that the health care system is appropriately funded but that the health care system needs to be managed more efficiently. That is what we should be looking at doing.

The Budget  Madam Speaker, unlike the last speaker, I think it is a great honour for me to stand today and support the budget. I am very proud of its very bold and visionary approach to fiscal management. Throughout this budget the Minister of Finance had in effect courageously redefined Canada's system of government while at the same time maintaining the basic principles of fairness and equity.