Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the people of Guelph-Wellington I am pleased to speak to the motion of the hon. Leader of the Opposition.
My constituents have expressed to me their concerns and their hopes for the future of social services in Canada. They have participated in a number of ways in my constituency. They have come to a town hall meeting sponsored by me and attended by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources Development. They have written letters and made many telephone calls to me. They have completed the booklet that was developed by the minister of human resources.
They have given me one clear message: they want social services that protect those most vulnerable and will ensure that Canada and every province in Canada remain prosperous for many years to come.
The Leader of the Opposition is wrong when he attempts to suggest that the Canada health and social transfer restricts the provinces to the role of consultants. What we are attempting to do is create a genuine partnership with the provinces and territories and continue to build a strong and evolving relationship in our Confederation.
The people of Guelph-Wellington welcome any effort to better administer social services and to give the provinces more flexibility to allocate the resources where they believe they are most needed. They have also asked me to ensure that national standards remain and that the federal government not only continue to provide funding to provinces but also ensure that medicare and social assistance standards and principles remain intact.
They admire the Canada Health Act commitment to public administration, comprehensiveness, universality, probability, and accessibility. They know that these principles are part of the reason the World Health Organization today declared Canada one of the world's five healthiest countries in which to live.
If this government were to abandon the principles of this act we would betray the trust that has been placed in us by all Canadians. My constituents have elected me to be a part of a government that is realistic and compassionate, one that recognizes the changing times, the new realities, and demands new solutions.
The people of Guelph-Wellington are hard working and dedicated to their families and their communities. They believe that these principles must remain the foundation of the Canada Health Act and health care in our country.
The Leader of the Opposition and all members of his party can rest assured that Canada's health care system, a system that helps define this great nation to itself and to the world, will be fully protected by our government.
Our country has had a long tradition of compromise and dialogue. From the very beginning our Confederation has evolved, and the people of my riding have supported this evolution. They know that if Canada is to remain the best country in the world the government must respond to new challenges and work together to secure our future.
The Minister of Human Resources Development will strengthen our social programs by inviting his provincial colleagues to work together through consultation and mutual consent to develop and improve programs which will benefit all Canadians.
My constituents have told me very clearly and often they want all levels of government to work together. They want our confederation to continue to protect them and their families from unforeseen and unfortunate circumstances. They know one of the reasons we are the best country in the world is that our social security network and our health system offer safeguards and protection from loss of employment or illness.
The Leader of the Opposition encourages unfounded rumours that the federal government has singled out the province of Quebec and is imposing special standards on the provinces under the Canada health and social transfer. This simply is not true. The Quebec government has been a leader in developing innovative social programs. For example, it has developed a program which encourages low income families with children on social assistance to increase their employment earnings and it inspires low income earners not to fall back on social assistance. These kinds of programs are exactly what my constituents have asked for; programs which encourage independence and build up the human spirit rather than programs which encourage the cycle of reliance.
In the past programs like these have not been shared under the Canada assistance plan. Cost sharing requirements under CAP are too restrictive. As well, the previous Quebec government came up with proposals for delivering social services for school children but these too were rejected because they did not meet the definition under the Canada assistance plan of welfare services.
It is because of these new and innovative programs sponsored and encouraged by governments like Quebec that the Canada health and social transfer is needed. The new transfer affords flexibility and allows the provinces to continue their important work in encouraging social service recipients and others to better care for themselves and for their families. Under the Canada health and social transfer Quebec and other provinces will have much greater flexibility; flexibility with responsibility to experiment with imagined ways of delivering social assistance and social services. What more could we ask for?
From these examples I hope the Leader of the Opposition and his party would be giving full support to the Canada health and social transfer legislation.
All of us were elected under unique situations and circumstances. Each of us in the House is here because our constituents were tired of politics as usual. They were tired of one level of government blaming the other and they no longer wanted to hear excuses as to why their best interests were not represented. They have asked us, no matter what party affiliation, to make the country better and to make its systems of social security and health better.
We have a choice. We can move ahead or we can linger in the old way of blame and suspicion. My constituents want better from me, better from the government and better from the opposition. They want us to work together to ensure Canada remains the best country in the world in which to live. They want positive new ideas. They want innovative approaches. Most of all, they want Canada to remain united for their benefit and the benefit of Canadians from coast to coast.
On October 25, 1993 the people of Canada gave us their hopes and their dreams for a better country. They want the provinces to manage what they do best and they want national standards which safeguard every single Canadian. They know the government is not conspiring to weaken the social fabric of Canada, but instead is attempting to strengthen it.
I invite the Leader of the Opposition to work with us, for his constituents and for mine, to build up the weak, to give aid to the sick, to protect the most in need and to encourage independence
to those who rely on government. The people of his riding and mine demand no less.