Mr. Speaker, I am very happy the record has been set straight because what our motion is asking is that things be done according to Canadian legislation.
The Government of Quebec has never asked that legislation be set aside. The five principles of the Canada Health Act are part of the legal framework within which we must work. This government has not always done so. This may explain why those on the other side are so nit-picking. They behave differently themselves.
Two years ago, the Minister of Human Resources Development had to make a decision regarding a legal advice which indicated clearly that if the minister used database matching to identify the unemployed who broke the law by travelling abroad, this would contravene the Privacy Act. This does not mean we should legitimise cheating but it must be acknowledged that the government may have things to settle on the issue. It has happened, on occasion, that this government was not very respectful of legislation passed by the Canadian Parliament.
Respect of jurisdictions, that of Quebec as well as Canada, is the best way to make sure that money is spent in the right place. This is our main goal. We do not have money to burn in that area. We do not have money to burn these days. We cannot afford duplication. We cannot wait to invest in the right programs.
This is also a cry from the heart. Money available from the federal government surplus could be invested in health care, using existing channels. If there is one single consensus in Quebec, it is that we do not want new programs. We want to strengthen existing programs. We want to be able to finance our hospitals, equipment, emergency services, CLSC's, or local community service centres, palliative care services and all our other support services, and we want to be able to pay our hard-working health care workers. We must be able to pay our workers decent salaries and to provide direct health services to the population.
This is the meaning of the motion we introduced in the House today. It aims at bringing the government to abide by its own Constitution.