It has had to make them largely because of the federal government. It is obvious that my hon. colleague is worried that there will be a new leader of the Liberal Party in Quebec with a greater chance of winning the election. He is perhaps getting started on his provincial campaign. Who knows? We might lose the hon. member for Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot. If he were to move to the provincial level, it would be a great loss to the House of Commons.
One really important thing to bear in mind with respect to health is that, since 1993, the government has not kept up its end of the bargain. The public was led to believe that the system was in great shape, and assistance to the provinces was cut, but the government had not put its own house in order. This is important.
The unilateral cuts completely destabilized Canada's health care system. Afterwards, when finances returned to an adequate level, the government began spending again, without regard for the criteria which make Canada's health and education system a shared federal and provincial responsibility. Education is certainly provincial.
What I mean is that the government, as the minister was saying in the House today, plans to incorporate new services in the health care systems. So while everyone is saying that the transfers are inadequate, the government is preparing to set up a home care system. This is entirely a provincial matter. And it has not mentioned the cost.
Currently, we spend between $2.4 and $2.8 billion a year in Canada on home care. The government is preparing a proposal, but, as we have seen today, not too many of the Minister of Health's colleagues are giving their support to this new structure. They are sending out messages saying “We are looking after health; it is a priority. We are cutting, but then we will set up new programs”. But the problem of the cuts made in the first place has not been resolved.
Not so long ago, during the election campaign last year, there was talk of a national pharmacare program. What has become of it? We hear no mention of it these days.
However, we hear “We are not sure that the provinces will go for a drug plan. It may not be popular. The aging of the population is a popular topic. We will talk about home care. That should grab them”.
They are talking endlessly about home care. However, we do not know what it will cost nor who will manage it. And in the meantime, there is no mention of a drug plan—nothing.
Today, the minister told us that the figure of $12.5 was recommended by the National Forum on Health. I am not talking about the one this weekend, but of the one from a few years ago.
This figure was recommended by the Forum, but we must be careful. The Forum also called for new health care measures, new funding for health care, for home care and for pharmacare. That meant that the government's contribution was not $12.5 billion, but a lot more.
The $12.5 billion is strictly for transfers. But knowing that home care currently costs billions of dollars, the Forum said more money had to be invested. They are not quite saying that in the House.
Health is a very important matter. Even the Liberal Party members said so on the weekend. Unfortunately, the minister does not seem to want to listen, nor do his cabinet colleagues, because there is nothing new on the table.
We are asking for some stabilization and guarantee for the provinces. The provinces must be the ones that manage Canada's health care sector, to avoid any federal government involvement. As we know, our Liberal friends have a tendency to take over various responsibilities and to do a bit of politics in the process.
Health is a provincial matter. We hope that if the federal government finds some money, it will transfer it to the provinces. One possible source is the $2.5 billion. An amount of $2.5 billion was set aside in the budget this year for a program that will begin in the year 2000 or 2001, and that will cost about $200 million annually.
The government could have taken $200 million, starting in the year 2000 or 2001, and put the $2.5 billion back into the health sector, through the transfers to the provinces. This would have shown that the government truly gives priority to the issue.
It could have used the money to give a tax break to taxpayers and help them face the music. But the government did none of that. It is setting some money aside. It is taking $2.5 billion and will put it there. The interest should normally go to the millennium scholarship foundation, but we are not sure whether that will happen. We will have to wait and see.
The Reform Party member who chairs the public accounts committee pointed this out last week.
The New Democratic motion is good for the health sector. Its purpose is to make sure we know what is going on. However, it is ineffective, because even Statistics Canada releases figures and standards on Canadians' health.
It is very difficult to check in the field to see if the transfers are adequate. However, we do know that they are currently inadequate. Some unilateral cuts were made. The shortfall will continue for the next few years and this must absolutely stop.
The government must secure the transfers to the provinces with tax points, and it must maintain an equalization system to make sure that the poorest provinces continue to get help.
I will conclude by reminding members that, with the $12.5 billion, seven out of ten Canadian provinces will get less money than they did last year.