Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Deputy Prime Minister.
The switch to per capita calculations for provincial equalization payments is a direct challenge to the ideal of sharing in the Canadian federation. The Liberal finance minister in Newfoundland called the government's rosy claims about transfer payments laughable. The health minister in Newfoundland says it creates a two tier health care system.
Why is the Liberal government abandoning this fundamental Canadian principle upon which equalization transfers are based?