Finance committee  I would simply add that what the announcement has done and what the formula will do is provide certainty about the federal contribution for the long term.

Finance committee  This is a series of figures from various budgets where specific spending targets were identified in the area of health care—not all provinces identified a specific target. Prince Edward Island, in the 2012-13 budget, indicated that they'll cap health care spending at 3.5% in subsequent years.

Finance committee  That's right.

Finance committee  The provinces all issued their budgets early this calendar year. The announcement was made in December 2011.

Finance committee  That's in reference to the 2012-13 budget cycle. However, provinces have been taking steps in this area. For at least the last couple of budget cycles, that I'm aware of, there have been initiatives put in. I don't have a table that documents those, but off the top of my head I know that Ontario and Quebec made reference in their 2010 budgets about the magnitude of health spending as a proportion of the total, and they were making measures at that time.

Finance committee  Well, yes. Chronologically there were provincial budgets that contained measures in the health care field.

Finance committee  The result of this bill is to put in legislation the growth and the continued growing federal contribution in health to the provinces and territories. It's using a formula that, as the minister stated, is the best measure of government revenues so it represents a sustainable formula for the federal government.

Finance committee  I don't have a record of the decline figures here for 2012-13—

Finance committee  You might be referring to New Brunswick in the 2011-12 year.

Finance committee  The old formula was a 6% escalator through the period up to 2014.

Finance committee  I don't have a figure for what the difference in the amount of various scenarios would be. I know that there have been various scenarios put out about what that amount might be or could be. That's not...as I said, what we have done is in this bill set out what the growth of the transfer will be after 2013-14.

Finance committee  I'm not certain there's anything available that's not subject to cabinet confidence—

Finance committee  —but I can take that under advisement.

Finance committee  Yes.

Finance committee  From provincial budgets?