Madam Speaker, I apologize; I meant to say the Prime Minister of Canada.
We have the Speech from the Throne. The mentality in it is the same as at the international conference on federalism. Canada is denying the problems. The Government of Canada is skirting the problems it itself created with the dramatic cuts to transfer payments.
I am speaking of Quebec, and I may perhaps speak as well of the other provinces, which are dealing with problems in health care and education. There are problems in postgraduate education, in helping the most disadvantaged. The government arrives and talks to us about the 21st century, applauded by the Liberal crowd. And what does it announce?
Does it announce help for the provinces in resolving their problems? No. It introduces new programs. Will it help the unemployed live during the time it takes them to find a new job? No, the government introduces new programs.
The terrible thing in this is that many people need money. These people find themselves in a situation created to a large extent by the federal cuts. They do not necessarily understand exactly how they ended up in that situation, because those who made the cuts and reduced services are those who manage the programs, that is the provincial governments. Nonetheless, the federal government will introduce new benefits for children, for example.
If children are poor, it is because their families are poor. We saw the situation of the families deteriorate, and that is the most serious problem at the moment. Middle income earners, the middle class, are those who paid most, and there is absolutely no chance they will ever get enough for their money back, since there will be no new investments in health or education nor any money to help the neediest.
I know that 1,200 new chairs were announced. I can talk about that because I was member of the industry committee. The main problem in postsecondary education comes from the context in which universities must operate. The creation of new chairs will not solve the problem. Of course, universities will gladly accept the money, but they are in dire need, like the hospitals.
If the government had had a real vision—and everybody will reach the new millennium at the same time, like Christmas and New Year Day—it would have started by working on the problems it created itself, to avoid becoming an outdated government, one that is out of touch, in spite of its desire to appear to be the best wired government in the world.