Mr. Speaker, the member opposite is factually incorrect. With this budget the health portion of the Canada health and social transfer will be fully restored. That will also give predictable and stable funding to the provinces which deliver those services.
When this government took office it faced a $42 billion deficit and a debt that was out of control. Today the debt and the debt to GDP ratio are on a downward trend. The tax burden is being reduced, particularly for the neediest. Also we have been able to secure social programs. This makes the single largest commitment to Canadian medicare. Transfers of $11.5 billion over five years, with $3.5 billion immediately to help the provinces solve their problems, is the single largest commitment in over two decades. That is a real commitment and those are the facts.