Health committee  We think the agreement between the federal government and the provincial government in P.E.I. is a model that many other provinces could emulate, taking the money that is available, examining exactly where the gaps are and the needs of coverage, and then applying the money specifically to those areas rather than trying to spread the money like a burlap sack over the entire issue.

Health committee  Thank you for the question. Through you, Mr. Chair, that's a key point, because they don't know. They're confused. The seniors who are watching today—and I know many of them are—are going to see that, if there are this many questions about the coverage for those with diabetes, what's it going to mean for the rest of us?

Health committee  I meant that there was confusion in its operation. When it first came into play, there were many people who fell between the cracks. Eventually, it seems, most of those were picked up; however, there were people who were without the ability to get their medications from the time the program was introduced until they got through the paperwork of getting it.

Health committee  I would absolutely agree. What we have now—one of my colleagues pointed out—is like a kind of mismade quilt. It's a patchwork, with gaps in it, covering everybody. What's being proposed now is more like a burlap sack. It's the lowest common denominator with holes in it. We need a tightly knit quilt.

Health committee  Thank you very much. Thank you to the committee for allowing me to appear on behalf of the Canadian Association of Retired Persons and our 225,000 paid members from across the country. We applaud the government's intention to work with the provinces and the territories to sign the agreement that would provide what is called universal single-payer, first-dollar coverage.