Mr. Speaker, I listened carefully to the remarks made by the hon. member for Madawaska—Restigouche, the riding next to mine in New Brunswick. I agree with him that we would indeed have expected a bill like this one to put back a much more substantial amount into transfer payments so that the provinces will have enough money to provide health care.
The Liberal government and its supporters claim, on the one hand, that health should be a priority and at the same time drastically cut transfer payments, starving the provinces as the result, and on the other hand, they say “We are going to develop a home care system”. Imagine the federal government involved in home care.
Does the hon. member agree with the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources Development, who stated this morning that the whole employment insurance issue was not an urgent matter? He said that we could take our time, that there was no rush to take action on this issue.
Will the hon. member for Madawaska—Restigouche, whose riding, like mine, is struggling with high unemployment and the problems associated with seasonal industries, comment on this position, which should have been reflected in the bill before us? Does this not go to show how insensitive the Liberals can be not only for eastern Quebec but also for all the maritime provinces?