I stand corrected, Mr. Speaker. The Minister of Finance. Since federal transfers to the provinces account for nearly 20 per cent of federal expenditures, they cannot be ignored. On the other hand, these transfers account for only three per cent of the provinces' revenues.
We made deeper cuts to our own expenditures on goods and services than to transfers to the provinces. Saskatchewan and New Brunswick have been able to balance their budgets while taking into account the new federal transfer payments. The Quebec government is lagging behind, because of all the energy it is putting into separation plans and referenda. In view of the fact that the transfer cuts contemplated amount to only a few percentage points of provincial revenues, is it fair to say that actions taken by the federal government are solely responsible for provincial cuts to come?