Debates of Feb. 17th, 1999

The Budget

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the government has more revenues because the economy is performing very well. The government has more revenues because 1.6 million people who had no jobs five years ago are working in Canada. The government has more revenues because there is optimism in the country because we have reduced the deficit from $42 billion to zero. The government has more revenues because it is the first time that we have had two balanced budgets in 50 years.

[Preston Manning, Reform, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, no prime minister in history has taxed Canadians as much as this Prime Minister.

No prime minister in history has cut health care more deeply. For the last four years the accumulated total of health care cuts is over $20 billion. The budget proposes to put $11 billion back over five years and health care deteriorates as a result.

How does the Prime Minister intend to explain to Canadians that when they are paying the highest taxes they have ever paid, they are getting less health care than they have ever received?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I just want to tell the House of Commons that the Reform Party said that the government should immediately restore health care services by reallocating a minimum of $2 billion in new health transfers to the provinces.

The problem that we have with the opposition party is that it cannot take yes for an answer.

[Preston Manning, Reform, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister refers to others because he is really afraid of his own record.

The real result of this government's health care policy is a two-tier health care policy where ordinary Canadians get put on a list 200,000 names long and wealthy Canadians go to the United States.

My question for the Prime Minister is how does it feel to go down in history as the father of two-tier health care?

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear.

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I am happy with the standing ovation because we are afraid we will lose the leader of the Reform Party next week.

I do not have to go to the United States because I want to go to Alberta. One of the guest speakers for this weekend, the premier of Alberta, Mr. Klein, said on February 17, not a long time ago, “I am pleasantly surprised. I did not think there would be a restoration of health care funding that would be of such significant proportions”.

[Monte Solberg, Reform, Medicine Hat, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I can tell you one thing the Premier of Alberta is not in favour of. He is not in favour of the provinces having to send all kinds of people south of the border to get all kinds of procedures, preemie babies going from Ontario to the United States to get service because they cannot get it in Canada.

They are not in favour of a young man from Toronto going to Buffalo to get a tumour removed because he could not get it done in Toronto.

That is the type of health care the government is giving. I would like to know how he can justify two tier health care in Canada.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear.

[The Speaker]

It is just not going to work if we cannot hear the questions or the answers.

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, there will be a big party this weekend. Some Tories from Ontario will be there and the leader of the Tory party, the Premier of Ontario, said last night that it was a very good step in the right direction on medicare.

[Monte Solberg, Reform, Medicine Hat, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I can tell you that the Premier of Ontario does not favour seeing $5 billion a year leave Canada and go to the United States for health care every year. That is what is happening under this government.

They cannot get health care because this Prime Minister is the prime minister who put the hell into health care. This Prime Minister is the prime minister who cut $20 billion out of health care and is proposing to put half of it back and expects people to be grateful. Thank you very little.

Is that the record the Prime Minister is proud of?

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I think the people of Canada are very happy that we have the finances of the nation in good shape. They are very happy that after we have managed to reduce the deficit from $42 billion to zero, the first big investment we made responded to the wishes of Canadians. We have invested $2 billion for each of the next two years into the health care. They are quite happy with that.

I understand that the Reform Party, because of this good budget, will have to invite again the group therapist from United States to come and—

[The Speaker]

The hon. leader of the Bloc Quebecois.

[Gilles Duceppe, Bloc, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, as we feared, unemployed workers, who have had their benefits slashed and are being harassed in employment centres, are footing the bill for the measures announced yesterday by the Minister of Finance.

How can the minister be proud of this budget when he knows full well that the government's gains come at the expense of unemployed workers?

[Pierre Pettigrew, Liberal, Minister of Human Resources Development]

Mr. Speaker, since 1986 the Auditor General of Canada has asked us to include the EI account in the government's consolidated revenue fund.

During all the years this fund was in the red, did the members opposite criticize Canadians for contributing to it? Now, there is a surplus. I know surpluses are something the members opposite cannot understand, cannot even imagine.

It is only natural now that all Canadians should benefit from this fund, which is serving them very well.

[Gilles Duceppe, Bloc, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

The Minister of Finance's sidekick is just as proud as the Minister of Finance, who has an unfortunate habit of dipping into the pockets of unemployed workers. It is a disgrace.

Yesterday, as I left my office, which is not far from the Minister of Finance's office on the 5th floor of the Centre Block, friends of the Minister of Finance were partying and toasting his budget.

Is the minister aware that, while he and his friends were celebrating, unemployed workers were facing the prospect of benefits that were reduced or about to run out at week's end because of the government's EI cuts?

[Paul Martin, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, the celebrations were not confined to my office. All of Canada was celebrating the health budget. Canadians were celebrating the fact that the federal government has just put an additional $11.5 billion into the health system throughout the country.

They are celebrating the fact that equalization payments are going up. They are celebrating the fact that the number of Canadians with jobs has risen by 525,000 over the past year. They are celebrating because things are looking good for Canada. That is what the good cheer is all about.

[Yvan Loubier, Bloc, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance decided to unilaterally change the rules for distributing the Canada social transfer, so that Quebec will receive less than 10% of the health care money given to the provinces, while Ontario will get 46%.

Since, in the name of equity, the health care transfer to Quebec will now correspond to its demographic weight, will the Minister of Finance promise to use the same criteria for purchases of goods and services and for regional development, where Quebec faces an annual shortfall of nearly $3 billion a year.

[Paul Martin, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, when we look at transfers to the provinces, we look first at the Canadian transfer for health care and equalization payments.

When we look at the two together, we see that, within four weeks, Quebec will be getting a cheque for $1.4 billion from the federal government—

[An hon. member]

Zero deficit.

[Paul Martin, Liberal, LaSalle—Émard, QC]

Exactly, zero deficit, as my colleague said.

[Jean Chrétien, Liberal, Saint-Maurice, QC]

And that is thanks to us.

[Paul Martin, Liberal, LaSalle—Émard, QC]

Everyone knows that within the next five years, the provinces will be getting $19.6 billion from the federal government, and that Quebec will be getting—

[The Speaker]

The member for Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot.

[Yvan Loubier, Bloc, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance should say it is thanks to the unemployed and Bernard Landry that he does not just have no deficit.