Hon. David Dingwall (Minister of Health, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, as the member and the House will know, when we signed NAFTA there was prote
ction, particularly annex II. However, due to the fact that Canadians had some anxieties and due to the fact that we as a government wished to reassure those Canadians that medicare in this country is protected, we have been able to negotiate an agreement in principle with the United St
ates, Mexico and us which will further give assurances to Canadians that our health care system, which is the best i
...[+++]n the world, will be protected for Canadians for generations to come.
L'hon. David Dingwall (ministre de la Santé, Lib.): Monsieur le Président, comme le sait la députée, l'ALENA comporte des mesures de protection, particulièrement à l'annexe II. Cependant, les Canadiens ont exprimé certaines craintes. Dans le but de les rassurer sur la protection dont bénéficie notre régime d'assurance-maladie, nous avons négocié un accord de principe avec les États-Unis et le Mexique. Cet accord confirme que notre système d'assurance-maladie, qui est le meilleur au monde, sera protégé pour les Canadiens des générations futures.