Madam Speaker, the cash does matter. That is why in each of the last four budgets we have increased the cash very significantly, as I mentioned, by 25% over the last two years. The cash does matter and it has increased.
Just the other day the Minister of Finance announced $2.5 billion which will result in a permanent increase of $500 million a year in the cash floor. That will be $15.5 billion a year in the cash transfer to provinces.
Let me address another point the member raised. She talked about the passive role of the Government of Canada. We do not take a passive role. I reacted immediately to the proposals of Mr. Klein by saying that we would look at them very critically. I expressed concerns when I wrote to the minister of health of Alberta. We are awaiting the tabling of the legislation later today. We will examine it carefully to determine whether it is consistent with the Canada Health Act both in letter and in spirit.
We have aggressively proposed that ministers meet quickly to act, not just speak, on points of common priority in order to improve medicare. I do not think that is passive. That is the Government of Canada fulfilling the role it is intended to serve of leadership, co-ordination and working constructively with partners.
The last thing I will say is that I know we cannot succeed if we rely on personal attacks. I am not speaking now about members opposite. I am speaking of other participants in the debate. We will not advance this issue on the basis of personal attacks.
It is not too long ago that I was in the real world working and watching politics as a citizen. I can recall how disappointed my neighbours and I were when we saw politicians engage in personal attacks. It is very dismaying because it signals that they are not focusing on the public interest. They are not at work on what will make a difference.
I suggest to all my colleagues in this debate that we set aside personal attacks, that we focus on what Canadians are interested in, which is long term solutions to their medicare system, and that we work together in a constructive fashion to get those changes in place.