Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I just want to make it clear that it is not that, if we want to open up the realm of area that we want to address, it would be social workers and alcohol and addiction workers and caregivers and program deliverers in communities and cities. I do not mean to imply that any of them are any less important in their work, but at the same time, I just want to point out that sometimes reaching too far may result in losing sight of what we set out to do in the first place.
I believe the specific issues to do with the allied health care workers is the real and apparent inequities in the work place for those who are delivering health and medical care. I am sure it is the case in health centres as it is the case in bigger institutions like Stanton Hospital, where there are x-ray technologists, laboratory technicians, occupational therapists and speech therapists who are working in a very close area with the nurses and doctors and are also faced with the shortages in staff and being overworked and overburdened. They look around and see their colleagues with the same level of education receiving bonuses and incentives three years in a row. They do not want to complain about that because you do not want to begrudge your colleague for getting something you are not getting, but at the same time, it is not a good working environment.
I need to specify that as one of the more unique features about this problem. I am not getting any comfort from the Minister's answers. I know from day one that he stepped into his position as the Minister, he has worked very hard to be an action man. He has made it very clear that he has deadlines, visions, objectives and steps he is going to follow. He has gone a long way in assuring us that he is a man of action and not one of reviews and studies.
Yet in his latest answer, he is telling me that he is reviewing it, he has executive committees and deputy ministers and boards -- I think it is deputy ministers that he is going to bring to the executive committee -- looking at this, taking the same steps and coordinating and all of that.
My specific question is, has the Minister directed whoever is in charge of this? Has he made any specific direction to say we need to have equity for the allied health care workers?