Mr. Speaker, the hon. member probably forgot the first part of my remarks. The point I am making is that we, in Quebec, agree with the five principles, which we regard as a minimum consensus. However, it is rather cynical for the federal government to hide behind these five principles and cut transfers to the provinces.
The hon. member said earlier that necessity is mother of invention. I do not think that the federal government's goal in cutting transfer payments to the provinces is to spur lazy provinces to action. It is only trying to get out of a difficult financial situation. This is not a health strategy but a financial strategy and, in that regard, the health minister must submit to the finance minister's wishes.
We feel we are at the crossroads. Quebec remains committed to the principles of universality, accessibility, portability, and so on. However, if the federal government cannot do its job, we, at the provincial level, are prepared to go over its head and negotiate directly with the other provinces to ensure the portability of the system. The federal government should get serious, uphold the five principles and provide the required funding. It is true, up to a certain point, that money does not guarantee the quality of health care, but when you cut-