Mr. Speaker, it seemed very long to me. I would have expected a little more responsibility from the assertions made by the member. He is, after all, connected with the finance department. For example, he criticized the motion for purporting to give this money to the provinces “no strings attached”. However, that is the very same condition under which this government is giving money to health care. It is giving money under the auspices of the health and social transfer which is, as far as I know, the only way it can be given. Why would the member criticize the motion for doing the same thing the government is doing?
He also said that the last budget gave $2.5 billion more to health care but he neglected to mention that is over the next five years. This year less than $1 billion will be given to health care by the government. Is it not a little duplicitous to pretend that this budget gave $2.5 billion more to health care when it is only giving it over the next five years?
Is it also not a fact that the federal government transfers in support of health care dropped by 28% since the government took office? We can juggle numbers but the raw fact is that the federal support for this important program to Canadians dropped by 28% under the neglect of the government. It cut the heart out of health care, slashed and burned support and now has the nerve to attack us for wanting to put back even the most modest amount, which is only $1.5 billion in our motion.
I invite the member to set the record straight, to be straightforward when he gives facts, and to tell Canadians exactly why the government is trying to find excuses not to give extra money to health care, particularly when it is spending $86 billion more over the next five years. It has $86 billion more to spend over the next five years than it has today, but it has just a pittance for health care.