Mr Speaker, I was intrigued by the comments of the member who just spoke. He indicated the difference between the United States and Canada. In the United States there is no universal medicare. We have an excellent old age security system, the Canada pension plan, at which all the Reform Party is laughing precisely because it does not believe in these programs.
A Reform member of Parliament complained about the medicare system and at the same time indicated he would cut the equalization payment by 1.5%. If I may remind the member, transfer of money from the federal government to the provinces includes the equalization payments in addition to cash transfers for health care.
May I inform the member who has just spoken that the Liberal Party equally believes in reducing taxes but not at the expense of medicare, of the security of Canada pension, of education, of research and development.