Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today, once again, to shine a light on my Member’s statement and oral questions from Monday, February 25, 2013, on the subject of air ambulance protocol for highway emergencies and the role of medical travel. Admittedly, I am fully aware of an ongoing RCMP review of last week’s highway accident and I will refrain from asking specifics to this file.
Upon review of the responses of the Minister of Health and Social Services, it bears to ask, once again, some questions. The Minister of Health and Social Services indicated, as per Hansard, “I’m not familiar with the protocols for getting people on the highways.” He also states, “All calls for medical travel, whether it be medevacs or medical travel, are made by physicians.” So the Minister has had a few days now to familiarize himself with protocols. Therefore, can the Minister of Health and Social Services explain what protocol does a medical travel physician use when aborting an air ambulance extraction versus a more lengthy ground transport option?