Mr. Speaker, as luck would have it, this morning I read in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean daily that, last evening, the health action committee of the chamber of commerce of La Baie and the Lower Saguenay asked elected officials to oppose any cut affecting the health sector in my region, so as to preserve what took so long to obtain.
Incidentally, a document clearly shows, and this has been confirmed, that cuts of over $131 million have already been made in my region, concerning that sector. Most of these cuts were, of course, made because of overlapping federal and provincial activities in that sector. It goes without saying that, when the federal government makes cuts affecting transfer payments for the health sector, there is an impact in Quebec.
In this bill, the federal government, claiming to be a good government, gives itself the right to act directly or indirectly in the health sector. It could use its spending power to that end. Indeed, a quick look at a few clauses of the bill will tell you that the federal government wants to get involved in that sector.
Contrary to what one might think, the health department has an enormous budget. According to the 1995-96 Estimates, Health Canada's operating budget is $1.05 billion, that is $347 million for personnel alone and $703 million for goods and services, whereas transfer payments amount to $7.4 billion. These figures immediately tell the story about the costs of overlapping activities.
We must ask ourselves what the federal government does with that $1.05 billion. Under the pretext of developing a strategy, the federal government, to put it bluntly, is once again interfering in a field of provincial jurisdiction.
Let me give you a few examples, starting with the new horizons program. This program used to help our seniors in several ways, for example by allowing them to buy entertainment and recreation equipment and participate in group activities. This program was, at least in my riding, well received by golden age clubs and by associations for the defence of retirees' rights. It gave some clubs and associations the tools to help our seniors, for whom these organizations are often the only resource available. In addition, these tools and activities helped participants stay in good physical and mental health.
After over a year of consultations, of shelving the various demands with respect to the new horizons program, our seniors are being offered a totally new program that is focused on health. The federal government is cutting a service in an area of pressing need and jumping head-first into another area where Quebec was present, where Quebec was already well equipped to deal with the situation. This can only be described as a case of wasteful overlap.
New horizons is but one example among many others. I could also mention programs such as the federal initiative on family violence, the national strategy to reduce tobacco use, and the pregnancy and child development program, which are still in effect in Quebec. Why multiply services? All these contributions show that the federal government has no qualms about going ahead with its own health and welfare initiatives.
They go ahead with these initiatives without considering the fact that, in the past few years, Quebec has focused on areas such as prevention and fitness. Quebec has also shown leadership in occupational health and safety matters.
The federal government is only interested in visibility and is ready to pay the price. One of its latest initiatives is the national forum on health. Again, to achieve visibility, it showed its will to intervene in this area without the consent of provincial authorities. All provinces without exception openly criticized the federal government's attitude in this regard, since it relegated them to a position of secondary importance in matters of health.
Quebec recently spent several months reviewing the measures required to make its system more effective and less costly while keeping medically necessary services free for everyone.
Quebec did not wait for Ottawa to renew its health care system. It took concrete action in this regard. For several months, wide public consultations have been held throughout Quebec so that Quebecers can give their opinions and express their needs. I had the opportunity to attend these proceedings in my riding last weekend. Again, this is a consultation process; this is how we must proceed, instead of creating parallel structures that are a shameful waste of public funds.
Through Bill C-95, the federal government is quietly trying to convince us that this harmless looking bill is the bill of the century. Quebecers, however, are not fooled; we clearly see what the federal government is trying to hide from us.
I fully agree with my colleague from Drummond that this House should refuse to proceed with Bill C-95 and send the government back to the drawing board.
The time has come for Ottawa to withdraw completely from this area and give Quebec the tax points corresponding to its current transfer payments in all fairness.