Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased and enthusiastic about taking part in today's debate on the motion moved by the leader of the Bloc Quebecois, the hon. member for Laurier—Sainte-Marie.
It is not the first time that I speak, but this issue is of particular concern to me as the member for Québec. There is a high rate of unemployment and people on welfare in my riding. Since 1993, I have taken part in all the debates on the cuts made to the Canada social transfer.
Today's motion deals with an important issue for Canadians and Quebeckers. Let me briefly remind the House of what it says. The motion asks that this House endorse the provincial consensus reached in Saskatoon on August 7, 1998, to restore the Canada health and social transfer and to give back the contributions to front-line health care services, starting with a payment of at least $2 billion, given that the federal government has accumulated a surplus of $10.4 billion for the first six months of the 1998-99 fiscal year.
This debate is the logical result of consultations. On September 16 and 17, we held prebudget consultations in the Quebec City region to ask what the federal government should do with budget surpluses. These prebudget consultations were held throughout Quebec, under the guidance of the member for Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot. As I said, these consultations were held throughout Quebec. Hundreds of organizations representing thousands of Quebeckers came to deliver a message to the Minister of Finance regarding what should be done with budget surpluses.
To fully understand how appropriate the motion before us actually is, it is important to see how the wealthy owner of Canada Steamship Lines—I am of course referring to the Minister of Finance—managed to generate surpluses which he is still trying to hide. There is no way to find out whether there are surpluses. The minister's account always shows a zero balance. No deficit, no surplus. The account always has a zero balance.
The federal government forces the provinces to do the dirty job of implementing cuts to health, education and income security. The government shifts the blame for the cuts to the provinces by secretly digging into the pockets of the most disadvantaged, because it will not index taxation, and by misappropriating money that belongs to the workers and spending it as it pleases, in an obvious effort to gain visibility.
How does the Liberal government misappropriate the workers' money? I will try to explain.
While this debate deals with the Canada health and social transfer, we cannot overlook the fact that nearly half of the $10.4 billion surplus accumulated in the first six months of the current fiscal year came from the employment insurance fund. Recipients get half of all contributions they pay. They pay twice as much in contributions as they receive in benefits.
The government had no problems taking $5 billion out of the employment insurance fund surplus. The figures speak for themselves. What are they telling us? They are telling us that contribution rates are too high, which hampers job creation.
The human resources development minister's latest report correctly states at page 47 that only 43% of those who contribute to the plan benefit from it.
Figures do not tell us about the human cost. But when we look at these figures, we realize there must be people hurting somewhere. Women were the hardest hit by the tighter EI requirements imposed by this Liberal government that turns its back on them and uses contributions to hide its incompetence.
I will give you an example of this government's bad faith. As a member of the human resources development committee, I am embarrassed by what happened just yesterday, when we were denied permission to consider as a priority the impact of the new EI provisions. Yesterday, all opposition members on the committee walked out, saying “Have your own private debate”.
We have not been allowed to give precedence to the impact of the new EI legislation. That is embarrassing to me. Where are we to debate these issues, if we not even allowed to do so in the human resources development committee?
We had proposed a motion for the consideration of this legislation we think is unfair. When we see the government getting $5 billion from EI premiums paid by people who are not receiving what they deserve, we have the right to call for a debate. I am proud to take part in this debate today to express my outrage.
Several people have referred to the hijacking of the EI fund. I can quote the president of Solidarité rurale, Jacques Proulx, who appeared as a witness during prebudget consultations in my riding. He said “It is immoral to use the EI fund surplus to eliminate the deficit. That money does not even belong to the government”. I would remind the House that the government does not contribute to that fund.
Others did not hesitate to call it highway robbery. I know you do not like it, Mr. Speaker, when we use the word robbery here in the House, but we are not the ones who said it, it is the witnesses who came to the hearings. They said the management of the EI fund by the Liberals was the injustice of the century.
It is true that cabinet's insensitivity is no surprise to anyone, considering that the person who runs the government has implemented a reform whereby six people out of ten are not eligible for benefits.
We can now see why the Prime Minister does not understand the programs in Quebec; he does not even understand his own programs. When asked a question in the House about who paid premiums, the Prime Minister thought he himself paid premiums. He cannot answer a question from the Bloc Quebecois asking if it is fair to take money from the EI fund to reduce taxes. With a Prime minister who believes he contributes to employment insurance when we know full well that neither members nor ministers do, we are wondering who is governing us.
The Canada health and social transfer is a shameful scam; since 1993, the Liberals have cut $10.4 billion in transfer payments. By 2003-04, the cuts will amount to $42 billion. Can you imagine what the provinces could have done with $42 billion in health care? Can you imagine what it would mean to have an extra $42 billion in their pockets? In Quebec this translates into $590 million for 1997-98.
In the Quebec City area alone, they need $117 million. To give you an idea of what this means, it costs $103.5 million to run the Robert-Giffard hospital. With $117 million one could run a whole hospital. It takes $76.4 million to run the Hôtel-Dieu in Quebec City and $72.1 million to run the Laval University hospital. This amount represents what it takes to run two hospitals.
I do not know to which hospital this money could have gone, but at least the government could have helped by giving a little bit more so that hospitals could offer better services.
It is all very well to say from your ivory tower that everything is hunky dory, that we live in the best country in the world, but when you cut $42 billion from the Canada social transfer, one thing is clear: people suffer.
Quebec is not the only province where things are rough. Everywhere else in Canada health care is in crisis. There is not enough money. The government should stop parading around with its $2.5 billion millennium scholarship fund—money that will only increase its visibility—and start giving the money back to the provinces.