Mr. Speaker, for one thing, when we made cuts, they were much deeper in our own case, in order to reduce direct federal government spending.
Moreover, it is very clear that, when the time came to make cuts, we could not ignore the fact that 20 to 25 per cent of our spending was in the form of transfer payments to the provinces. At the same time, as the Prime Minister has just said, we did not touch equalization payments. Furthermore, I can tell you that equalization payments alone amount to $3.9 billion dollars, or 45 per cent of the total, for Quebec.
That being said, when we look at measures to help the most disadvantaged members of society, to help children living in poverty, to help students, a question comes to mind: Why did the Bloc Quebecois vote against all these measures?