Mr. Speaker, I have great respect for the member who just spoke. I worked with him on the Standing Committee on Health. He is a very caring person.
That having been said, I urge him to reread the Constitution. Under health, the wording is very clear: except for certain things, such as drugs, or the introduction of potentially diseased animals or plants into the country, health is recognized as a federal jurisdiction under the Constitution.
But for the rest, specifically health care administration, the Constitution is very clear that this comes under provincial jurisdiction. We are forever hearing that, because certain provinces were perhaps not operating exactly as the present federal government would have liked, it is important that all Canadians be treated the same.
This specious principle can be used to flout the Constitution. That is what is creating problems.
After slashing EI and making all the other cuts mentioned earlier, suddenly the federal government finds itself with a bit more money. With this money, which belongs to Canadian taxpayers, it wants to tell the provinces how to run their health care systems. This is unacceptable.
It is also unacceptable that the premiers of all provinces except Quebec agreed to the social union framework in order to get money. They renounced their powers and jurisdiction under the Constitution for money. I dare not use the word that comes to mind, because it would be unparliamentary, but I cannot help thinking it.