Madam Speaker, I would like to respond first to the statement the hon. member made about health. Many studies have shown now that the health care system is appropriately funded but that the health care system needs to be managed more efficiently. That is what we should be looking at doing.
We do not need to continue to pour money into the system. The system can provide the best health care in the world that Canadians need if we manage it. It has not been managed on sound management principles. We have not looked at the outcomes of the things we do to see whether they make a difference to the health status of the population.
There are enough studies now to show that we can save significant amounts of money that we can put into important aspects like prevention and helping to improve the health status of the population so our children can grow out of poverty and be healthy. We know that poverty is a major determinant of ill health in the country. We need to shift our resources where they do the best and where they improve the condition. That is what we can do if we manage the system better.
I do not see that any kind of cutbacks in funding will make our health care system worse. It is a challenge for provinces to learn how to manage the system appropriately on sound principles and guidelines. I think we can do that and I think the provinces are equal to the challenge.
With regard to young Canadians who are looking for work and any Canadian who is looking for work, the unemployment insurance system at the moment has shown us that 25 per cent of Canadians across the country are functionally illiterate. Forty per cent in the maritimes are functionally illiterate. We are not looking at the traditional student any more. We are looking at adult populations, non-traditional students, who need skills and tools to get back to work.
On one hand, the government is trying to push the engines that will drive the small and medium size business sector which will create 80 per cent of our new jobs. On the other hand, we are looking at unemployment insurance as an adjustment that will help people to get the tools and the skills they need to get back into the workforce so they can become independent contributing citizens who contribute to the competitiveness of the country. That is what we are looking to do, create opportunity; a springboard and not a safety net.