By Chris Hall, CBC News

Prime Minister Stephen Harper speaks during Monday's question period in the House of Commons. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)

Apparently politicians don't have to make a trip to the doctor to get in a shot. Or two.

It began when Liberal MP Bob Rae rose in the Commons today to ask the prime minister abut the health-care debate raging the United States.

During the first question period of the fall parliamentary session, Rae wanted to know what Prime Minister Stephen Harper thinks of the ''extraordinary attacks'' on Canada's health-care system by right-wing Republicans.

Rae then gave his shot, calling them the people from whom the prime minister takes ''spiritual inspiration.''

Republicans have derided Canada's universal health-care system as "medicine by bureaucrat" and grossly inefficient compared to the U.S. system built around private insurance.

Rae asked if Harper was ''proud'' of Canadian health care.

''It's the only system my family has ever used and we're depending on it in the future,'' the prime minister replied.

With that answer in mind, Rae a former NDP premier of Ontario got to his feet for a follow-up question.

Would the government defend the virtues of Canada's medicare system in light of those attacks from the American right-wing, he asked, giving Harper his chance to administer a shot of his own.

"The Canadian health-care system will not only survive the attack of right-wing commentators in the United States, but even survived one by left-wing incompetence in Ontario," Harper replied.