Mr. Speaker, my colleague is absolutely right to make that point. If we have learned anything from communicable diseases, from viruses, it was back in 2000. That was the last time we had the Security Council seized with a health issue and that was about HIV/AIDS because of how it exploded even though we knew about it in Africa. Here we are again. Therefore, if we are to learn anything from our experience in the past, SARS as I mentioned earlier and others, it is that once we see the takeoff of a virus like this and we see the increase in cases, as the member noted, obviously this is something we have to be seized with and we have to put together. This is where it is difficult and I am glad to see that it is an issue for the Security Council on Thursday. We have to have a coordinated response. This is what Médecins Sans Frontières is asking for, what the WHO is underlining, that we all do what we can. When there are countries that do not have the infrastructure for basic public health that have to deal with this, then clearly we have to do more than just send rubber gloves and masks, which is helpful, but clearly we need to do everything we can to send people and build infrastructure.
In the House of Commons on September 15th, 2014. See this statement in context.