Mr. Speaker, the government is quite concerned with the social well-being of Canadians and believes in stimulating public discussion on this very important issue.
Indeed this was the very purpose of the study mentioned by the hon. member. The member should note, however, that there was no consensus on how to best measure social well-being. In fact, the study itself explicitly rejects the idea that the index on social health is the only or even the best way to measure social well-being.
Nonetheless, as the hon. member suggests in his question, the Government of Canada has a key role to play in social areas and in levelling the playing field for all Canadians. Canadians demand that we live up to this responsibility and it is a challenge we will gladly meet.
This is why, in the Speech from the Throne, it was clearly stated that budgetary surpluses would be split on a 50:50 basis over the course of the second mandate, with half going to investments in social and economic priorities and half going to a combination of tax reductions and debt repayment.
The fact is this government has brought order to the nation's finances. We have put our fiscal house in order and in this way we have regained the ability to address the priorities of Canadians, that is, our children and youth, our health care and education, our communities and our knowledge and creativity.
We will continue to make social investments responsibly and with vigilance in strengthening the economy and working with our partners to solve the problem of unemployment, particularly youth unemployment, building a better future for our children by working with the provinces on a new national child benefit and a national children's agenda, ensuring Canadians get the education and skills they need to find jobs and work in new industries and ensuring that persons with disabilities have the tools they need to fully participate in society.
This government is committed to working effectively and efficiently with all its partners to modernize social programs for the 21st century.