I will come back to that. I had cited the famous quote made in 1996 by Liberal Treasury Board president Marcel Massé, back when Ottawa had consolidated transfers as part of its efforts to reduce the deficit. It had created the CHST, the Canada Health and Social Transfer. We don't like acronyms, and we like this one even less.
After that, it made cuts, which somewhat forced the Quebec government to end the shift toward outpatient care and cut health care services. The Treasury Board president said, “When Bouchard has to make cuts, Ottawa will be able to demonstrate that we have the means to safeguard the future of social programs”—with a nice maple leaf at the top. The last part of that quote is my own, of course. It's my interpretation, but it's faithful to what the Treasury Board president said.
I'd like to know if you think the federal government is using its spending power to interfere in the political affairs of the provinces.
From a democratic standpoint, what is the problem? Does a voter who is not receiving adequate health care know which government to punish and in which election?