Mr. Speaker, I was going to say burn and destroy mission; a scorched earth policy in terms of health care.
Thinking that might not be enough, given their record between 1993 and 1997, they went on to promise even more. They went on to promise a home care program in red book two, on which they were elected. They promised home care and more money for health care. Not to end it there, they promised a pharmacare program, which they knew they could not afford, but they promised it anyway. Apparently the Liberal philosophy is: the bigger the promise, the more votes. I suppose we could say: the bigger the promise, the bigger the votes.
Again they were successful. Since 1997 they have gone on with no plan and things are getting worse. Approximately $90 billion will be spent in Canada on health care this year. That $90 billion will be made up of the federal government share, the provincial share and the private sector. I want to remind Canadians that there is a private sector. Our system is not totally funded by the federal government.
My party's concern is that more of our health care system is becoming private. We have to be very careful of the direction we go in. That is what the NDP motion today is about. The NDP is suggesting that the federal government take strong action against the province of Alberta because of the introduction of bill 11.
I would like to give an example of how difficult it is for the provinces to manage given the set of circumstances that the federal government created. In my home province of New Brunswick spending in support of health care is the single largest expenditure. It even overshadows debt charges, believe it or not.
In 1998-99 the Department of Health and Community Services in New Brunswick expected to spend $1.3 billion, approximately 30% of its total provincial budget, on health care. About half of that total was spent on hospitals; 17% on medicare, which is predominately payment to physicians; 8% on nursing homes; nearly 5% on the prescription drug program; 12% on social services; and nearly 8% on other things, including mental health services and public health. Mental health services and public health received 1.7% of the total budget.
The situation in Newfoundland is worse. What is so hypocritical is that the present premier of Newfoundland, Mr. Tobin, sat in the House of Commons and supported the federal Liberal government at the time. He sat in the front row as the minister of fisheries. Mr. Tobin voted for all of the cuts that affected every province, including his home province of Newfoundland, of which he is now premier.
In the province of Newfoundland 42% of all spending is on health care. Per capita health care costs are now $2,037, compared to approximately $1,700 four years ago. Ironically, Newfoundland's population is decreasing, but health care costs are going up. That is the worst of all worlds. A lot of this was created by the federal government, of which Mr. Tobin was a member. He is starting to pay the price back home in terms of his government's ability to manage the system. The system cannot be managed without money.
The province of Saskatchewan is going through the same set of difficulties. Saskatchewan's population is declining as well.