Mr. Speaker, I have heard similar comments. In our riding offices, we hear all kinds of horror stories, people talking about personal experiences with regard to that.
I would like to go back to the issue of difference. I still say there are two countries within this country. In our work and in our discussions with members on the other side of the House and from other parties on this subject, we can see how important it is for Quebeckers to maintain jurisdiction over health, education, and so on. We feel this is important. We are always faced with a perception that we can respect because they may not have read the same history books as we have, and vice versa.
They think—and I am also saying this to those who are listening—that the federal government is the superior government, followed by a second level, the provincial governments, and finally by the municipalities. The spirit of Confederation in 1867 put all governments on the same level. They were meant to have different responsibilities and to act together. That is no longer the case today.
The federal government, with its spending power, uses the money. After achieving surpluses, as mentioned by the member for Jonquière, the federal government can now rectify the situation. However, those billions of dollars that were taken away from Quebec and the other provinces have resulted in unthinkable situations, including the one in the Chaudière-Appalaches region. That is the example that always comes to mind.
It is a difference in perception to think, as my colleagues from the other parties do, that the federal government is the superior government, the big government, with the provincial governments being inferior governments.