Madam Speaker, it is clear that when the government took office in 1993 we were facing some very daunting challenges. Part of those challenges was the $42 billion deficit that had been left by the previous government and it was absolutely essential that we get our program spending down which also meant reducing the transfers to provinces.
In some provinces, as in my home province of Ontario, we face a situation where there were cutbacks in transfer payments but the situation was significantly aggravated by a premature tax cut, something the party across the aisle seems to espouse as the be all and end all of what is good for Canada.
The situation in Ontario has pointed out fairly graphically how much in error that approach is and was. I think the government, in terms of increasing the amount of money for health care, the $11.5 billion, is taking steps in the right direction. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind about that.
I am in touch with people in the medical community on a fairly regular basis. Just last Saturday night I was talking to a nurse who was complaining about the situation at the Queensway-Carleton Hospital which is just outside my riding but which serves a good portion of my riding. This nurse was very concerned about people lined up in the hallways of the hospital because there are not enough beds in the emergency department. This is something that obviously has to be corrected.
What is important not just in terms of the infusion of health care dollars is the future oriented spending in terms of medical health research. In that regard I should tell members that I have a sister who is a cancer researcher here in the Ottawa-Carleton region who is absolutely delighted with the foresight the government has shown in terms of investing more in medical research and the money going into it. It will have great benefits for the future.