Mr. Speaker, the Department of Finance and its minister seem to live on another planet, because if they were right about this explanation, it would mean that the demand for health care has dropped and that to adjust to a changing world, in other words, to a reduction in the need for health care and social services, the Department of Finance would, very sensibly, have reduced its contribution.
That, however, is not the case and I wonder how the minister, who is unable to justify the reduction in the Canada social transfer, would be able to justify the new cuts totalling $1.6 billion in the Unemployment Insurance Plan, cuts that will have a more severe impact on the regional economies of Quebec, which has more seasonal workers?