Mr. Speaker, the unavoidable reality of health care financing is that federal financial support of health care is declining in absolute terms. Under this government, federal funding has fallen to 22 per cent of the overall health care bill, with $7 billion in cuts in health care transfers projected.
The provinces are wondering, the Canadian people are wondering, how the minister expects the provinces to replace the health care transfers she is withdrawing. She says they cannot charge the patients. She is against facility fees and she does not want private capital involved.
Is the minister therefore proposing that the provinces impose additional health care taxes to replace the federal medicare funding she is withdrawing?