Madam Speaker, I would like to quote from the speech the minister made in 1992: "Cutting back on the transfers in these areas has not contributed to better management of our health care system. We have literally forced our deficit onto the provinces and said to the provinces they have a choice: they can either increase their taxes or cut back on their services. What we have seen in many cases is a mix of the two".
In the same speech, the minister also said: "Cutting back on the transfers in these areas has not contributed to better management of our health care system. They have only contributed to the cutbacks and to the fear that we feel now across the nation, as the middle income group, which is the largest group of Canadians, are frightened and afraid of what is going to happen to them in the future. Will there be a health care system for them, will they be able to get the drugs that they need at the prices they
can afford to pay when they need them, when they get to be a certain age. There is this feeling that perhaps the federal government is letting go of its responsibilities in this matter".