Mr. Speaker, I want to comment on the hon. member's statement.
Much has been said about paragraph 4.(2)(a) and that it in fact has begun to encroach on provincial jurisdiction. I would like to refer the hon. member to clause 12, which states:
Nothing in this Act or the regulations authorizes the Minister or any officer or employee of the Department to exercise any jurisdiction or control over any health authority operating under the laws of any province.
That clearly specifies that the bill does not move into provincial jurisdiction.
I will quickly touch on the issue of transfer payments. In 1991-92 federal health transfers as a percentage of provincial expenditures were 31.2 per cent. In 1993-94 to Quebec it was 31.9 per cent. In 1994-95 it was 31.7 per cent. In 1995-96 it is 32.2 per cent. I may not be an accountant but I surely know that is an increase in terms of percentage of expenditure.
The major transfer to Quebec will approach $11.7 billion in 1995-96. It will account for over 30 per cent of Quebec's estimated revenues in 1995-96. It means that roughly $1,590 per person is spent in Quebec by the federal government.