Madam Speaker, I cannot speak with any authority on the numbers with respect to Saskatchewan. However, the hon. member forgets, as does Mr. Harris of Ontario, as does almost every premier of Canada, that the CHST, which is the big block transfer, is a combination of cash and tax points. I know that in Ontario the combination of cash and tax points has not amounted to a $6 billion reduction in moneys, as Mr. Harris would argue, but has been slightly less than $1 billion. In the process, the government's finances have been put back in order.
I would think that in Saskatchewan, which is arguably in unemployment terms one of our better provinces, the numbers would be similar and that in fact there has been very little reduction in terms of the CHST.
I also note to the hon. member opposite that the equalization payments have not been cut over that period of time, at considerable sacrifice to this particular treasury and to the taxpayers of Canada.
As well, cash reductions in the CHST were stopped at $12.5 billion, even though all of the provinces had signed on to a cash floor of $11 billion. As a consequence, $7 billion was back in the pot for all of the provinces to obtain.
I also note in the last budget $150 million was put into the health transition fund. There was a further $50 million for the Canada health information system.
Over the course of our deliberations the idea of a variety of report cards on how the best health care dollar can be obtained is being floated. I was shocked to learn that Manitoba's system does not compare to Saskatchewan's system which does not compare to Ontario's system.
Canadians spend something in the order of $80 billion annually on their health care system and they have no idea what they are getting for it. It is something like 9% of the GDP. Comparable health systems in other countries spend something like 7% of their GDP. How is it that they obtain a sophisticated, well managed, accessible system for something in the order of 7% of their GDP when we have to spend 9% of our GDP?
I would applaud the health minister who insists with the premiers and with the respective health ministers that they be accountable for the moneys that are to be put into the CHST.