Madam Speaker, the member made reference to have not provinces and the fact that we are in some sense subsidizing have not provinces and that we treat have not provinces like liabilities.
I would like to clarify for the hon. member that we do not treat any province like a liability. The intention of equalization is to ensure that all provinces are able to provide a comparable level of service to Canadians so that Canadians, regardless of where they live, have an opportunity to receive health care and social services benefits.
Alberta and British Columbia, which are have provinces today, were provinces that did receive equalization payments in the past. So equalization payments are meant to try to support provinces as they are continuing to improve their economic circumstance and once they improve their economic circumstance equalization payments are no longer provided to those provinces.
I guess the true colour of the Reform Party comes through when the member says the objective of the government is to try to guarantee the same outcome or equal outcomes for Canadians and it just cannot be done. I disagree with the hon. member. Equalization is a cornerstone of what it is to be Canadian, and that is to try to provide have not provinces with the ability to provide equal services or services of comparable value to Canadians.
He went on to make an accusation about how low income Canadians from have provinces are subsidizing high income Canadians of have not provinces. For a given level of income, all Canadians pay the same federal taxes irrespective of which province they live in. So I ask the hon. member to take the time to speak with his provincial counterparts about equalization.
Saskatchewan is a recipient of equalization and I think individuals who live in Saskatchewan appreciate this program. It is a program provided in consultation and collaboration with the provinces. It is renewed every five years. It is reviewed every February and October of each year to assess what the payments are and it is a collaborative effort. It is meant to provide comparable services. I fail to understand how the hon. member could disagree with that premise.