Mr. Speaker, to some people, Canada is the finest country in the world, yet it is also the country in which a Quebec family on welfare, composed of one parent and one child, must struggle desperately to survive on $8,337 less than the poverty level.
This actual drop in purchasing power is the direct effect of federal government cuts to transfer payments to the provinces.
In fact, under the new Canada social transfer, the provinces will be receiving approximately $7 billion less for health, postsecondary education and welfare. The federal government needs to loosen its grip and have the courage to fight the deficit at the expense of someone other than the most disadvantaged.