April 8, 1957 (22nd Parliament, 5th Session)

Mr. Fleming:

Why does the minister not be frank in the answer he gives the hon. member for Peace Paver? The provinces

Health Insurance
wanted the inclusion of patients in tubercular hospitals and hospitals for the mentally ill under the scheme, and the attitude taken by this government was to the contrary all the way through. The provinces have never acquiesced in this. They were simply told point-blank by the federal government that it would ignore such requests. There has not been any withdrawal from that position by any of the provinces. As a matter of fact, the minister and the government of which he is a member know perfectly well that if they would include the patients in hospitals for the mentally ill and hospitals for tubercular patients they would have more provinces coming in under the scheme, so we could bring it into effect much sooner. I do not think the minister has been at all frank in the statement he made this morning to the hon. member for Peace River.