Mr. Speaker, yesterday in his budget speech, the Quebec Minister of Finance brought home the negative impact of the massive cuts to the federal transfer payments used to fund social programs, which were announced in February's budget. While hastening its financial withdrawal, Ottawa intends to maintain its national standards, indeed impose new ones.
The Quebec Minister of Finance said yesterday, and I quote: "By the end of the decade, the federal government will no longer be making any transfer payments to Quebec for social programs. In fact, Quebec will be making payments to the federal government".
My question is for the Minister of Finance. Would the minister confirm the conclusion reached by his Quebec counterpart to the effect that the massive cuts made in his most recent budget to transfer payments to the provinces to fund social programs will mean a shortfall of $650 million next year for Quebec and of $1.9 billion in 1997-98, if the federal government continues its practice of allocation on a per capita basis, as he himself has said?