Inherent in a sustainable healthcare system will be the constant recognition that having an adequate 'supply' of health care requires doing everything possible to reduce the 'demand' ­ i.e. keeping Canadians healthy. The sustainability of our publicly funded healthcare system ultimately rests in the confidence Canadians have in it. Assuring universal, high quality, accessible, portable and comprehensive care, pre-paid through public financing, means nothing if only embedded in an Act of Parliament. Rather, it requires constant scrutiny and attention ­ good governance. In this complex federal system, the responsibility for the governance of health care and public health rests many places. It seems that the 'perceived crisis,' which has precipitated the need for this Royal Commission, is really a crisis of confidence focused on fears about the sustainability of the system. The finger pointing amongst the various governance structures for health care and public health must stop. We can have an exemplary system with less than 10 per cent of the GDP in a 70/30 public private split... Canadians want us to get on with it.

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