Mr. Speaker, when the Minister of Finance spoke of 3 per cent, he was talking about 3 per cent of a provincial budget. The figure of 14 per cent is the cut in transfers. That is the distinction.
It is a funny thing about money transfers. For years, the opposition has been telling us to get out of these areas of jurisdiction. And when we do so, they tell us to keep on paying. But the more we stay in these areas, the more federal taxpayers have the right to insist that we be involved in such matters. We are saying to the provinces that, with the new system, we are giving them more flexibility, as they have been requesting for years.