Mr. Speaker, let us talk about the debt, because there are two kinds of debts. There is the tax liability, of course. But more importantly there is a human debt, the social debt.
For some time now, we have watched our human capital deteriorate. This is now clearly evident in the province of Quebec, Montreal in particular. When studies are done on the condition of children in Montreal, particularly in downtown Montreal, everyone acknowledges that there are problems.
The only way to deal with this human debt, which exists almost everywhere in the country, but particularly in economically deteriorated regions, is to work together, not to get embroiled in constitutional battles, but rather to set an objective that is valid for all, since we all value the place children hold in our society.
I recognize that Quebec is often ahead of the rest of Canada as far as young children are concerned. Quebec has made enormous strides as far as daycare and other things are concerned. To me, the strength of federation is precisely the ability to acknowledge avant-garde models, such as are seen in Quebec, and to follow their example, if I may put it that way, like we did 30 years ago in the health care field, when Saskatchewan played the lead role.
Now it is up to all of us as Canadians to join forces in nation-wide societal projects. We must begin with our children.