Mr. Speaker, I listened to the member for Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik talk about the health care system, about the billions and billions of dollars that the federal Liberal government has put into health.
I have some more percentages. I do not know whether my colleague remembers that, in 1969, when the Liberal government was in power—the governments that followed did the same thing—it began to make cuts, with the result that transfers to the provinces are now 15% of what they were.
Would the member agree with me that today in Canada our children or our parents have to wait for treatment in hospital corridors, that people have to wait six months for cancer treatment or for a heart operation?
One of my sisters-in-law was operated on for cancer in Quebec City in January. She had to go to Augusta in the United States for her treatments. She had to stay five weeks and the treatments cost Canada or Quebec $18,5000. Here in Canada we are not even capable of treating our own citizens. I would like to know where the member stands on this.
Would he agree that the federal government should change its approach to provincial transfer payments so that our parents and our children do not find themselves stuck in hospital corridors waiting for care?