Mr. Speaker, I will begin by saying that the Canada social transfer represents an annual shortfall of $1.7 billion. When the government announces that the provinces will be getting back $2.5 billion over four years, that leaves Quebec terribly short.
The Canada social transfer is $1.7 billion, but $875 million go to health, $375 million to education and $450 million to social assistance. Do people realize what the loss of $875 million means in practical terms?
It means 3,000 doctors and 5,000 nurses. The $375 million would hire 5,800 university professors and there would be another $325 million for income security for those on social assistance.
The provinces are being given a difficult choice. This is terrible and has got to stop. I hope that the meeting of the health ministers will lead to something, that this government will be made to understand that it is up to the provinces to meet the public's pressing demands. It is not up to the federal government to take over from the provinces.
If there had been enough money, if the government had done its homework, if $18.8 billion had been made available—the amount the provinces are entitled to expect in order to meet health care needs—I could perhaps say the provinces had not done their homework and had mismanaged their budget. Instead of increasing this $18.8 billion, what has the government been doing? It has been cutting it back. To date, $31 billion has been taken away from the education, health care and social assistance network.
It is high time the public understood and the government stopped blaming the provinces.
I can speak for Quebec, while you may be able to speak for your region, Mr. Speaker. Honestly, I think that the Government of Quebec is trying to find practical and valid solutions. It can meet the needs of its people. We do not need the federal government, and certainly not the members on the government side, to give us any lessons.