Mr. Speaker, the member says he has a little difficulty understanding French, a little difficulty understanding Latin. My Latin is not too good either.
Let me say it again in English. The Leader of the Opposition says his colleague has no difficulty understanding math. He now says I have got the wrong person.
Since the government took office, transfers to the provinces have increased. Transfers to the provinces have not been cut for this year and in fact are going up.
Ultimately there will be a cut but that is no excuse for provincial action. The fact is any province, including the province of Quebec, has as much money to work with today as it did when we took office. Let us be very clear about that.
As far as social programs are concerned, a mechanism has been put in place that stops their continuous erosion all the way down to zero. There have been reductions but we have set in place a mechanism and any province that wants to sit down with us or the minister of HRD and is prepared to look at national values, that mechanism is in place.
There is a pre-condition to all of that. That is the goodwill and the understanding that this is one country and that this country wants to build, not destroy.