Mr. Speaker, I thank my Progressive Conservative colleague for calling to order this government, which tables bills and goes on to show its “keen interest”. As we have seen, it had to be called to order. Hear, hear.
I will now start where I left off. Last October, I sent a letter to the health minister asking that the federal government give some clarification on an investment project to establish a health research centre in my riding of Jonquière.
In this letter, I indicated that I would be very receptive to the idea of investing in a specialized research centre. In a release in relation to this letter, I made the following statement “If the government wants to announce major investments for health research in Jonquière, I will be very happy. My party and myself have long been asking that Quebec get its fair share of investments in research and development. Good for us if our region benefits from those investments.”
I will conclude this recapitulation by saying that, last week, I sent the health minister another letter, in which I deplored health care cuts imposed by the Liberal government since 1993 and the longstanding lack of equity in the distribution of federal R and D investments in Quebec.
I added that, naturally, consistent with the provinces' jurisdiction over health, we supported the idea of receiving a fair share of these new investments.
The reason I am taking this time to give a history of my remarks and positions on this issue is that I want to make it very clear that the Bloc Quebecois and myself have long been supportive of the idea of reinvesting in research.
I also want this debate to be exempt from any partisan comments. Following the dubious attempts of Liberal and Progressive Conservative members to make political hay with this issue—I could give a history of that, but I would probably run out of time—I stated that this initiative should be judged on its merits from a scientific point of view.
That is why I said, back in July, that it was clear to me that researchers in the Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean region were the players, not Liberal or Progressive Conservative members. I added that without researchers there would be no such initiative and that it would be thanks to the excellence of the projects and the quality of the team of researchers, and nothing else, that the region could emerge as a winner.
As for the legislation before us today, the House probably knows by now that the Bloc Quebecois agrees with its principle. I believe every member recognizes that health is the most precious gift we have and that research in this area will result in improving the quality of life of our fellow citizens either by preventing diseases or by curing those who are suffering from diseases.
While the intent of the bill is laudable, it is nonetheless ironical to see the federal government suddenly so concerned about health issues, when we know how drastically it has cut transfer payments for health to the provinces since 1993 and reduced funding to the granting councils that allocate money to scientists in the health field.
I remind the House that in 1993 the federal government unilaterally and irresponsibly withdrew from health care networks when it introduced the Canada health and social transfer. In fiscal 1999-2000, Quebec's shortfall in social transfers is estimated to be close to $1.7 billion, $850 million of which is lost every year in the health field. Since 1993, the cumulative shortfall in the health field alone amounts to nearly $3.4 billion.
The Liberal government claims times were tough and it was fighting the deficit. To this I say that people did not stop being sick, and it is health workers and the sick who have been hurt by federal cuts.
Diseases did not suddenly disappear when the Liberals came to power, and yet they slashed research grants. By so doing they delayed new discoveries and medical technologies that would help us take better care of our fellow citizens at a time when ageing will require more resources.
I am wondering where all these Liberal members who come parading around in my riding were, when their government was making these drastic cuts to health care.
Did they fight to make sure that the health of the population be considered a priority and be spared from these cuts? I have not seen them very often, in hospitals or emergency wards in Quebec, praising the health budget cuts made by their colleague, the Minister of Finance.