Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his good and fair question.
We in the NDP are not prepared to say that we are going to rob other programs such as policing programs, safer communities, aboriginal programs, status of women programs. We are not prepared, to use the Reform words, to divert funds from those programs, to rob Peter to pay Paul, in order to make it look like more money is going into health care.
The member raised the question of where that money should come from. The reality is the government has had the biggest budgetary surplus that we have probably seen in Canadian history, $100 billion. We have been very clear in our position. In fact my hon. colleague who will be speaking after me put out an excellent minority report detailing where those funds should be reinvested: in health care, in education, in social welfare, in ending poverty, in housing. We have been very clear about that.
We do not support the kinds of massive tax cuts that really only put pennies in people's pockets while at the same time they spend 30% more on private health care as a result of the demise of our health care system. I hope that answers the hon. member's question.