Mr. Speaker, I commend the hon. member for his participation in this debate, for his words and the actions of his party in bringing this debate forward. It is very timely and very useful that we embark on this debate.
I also thank him for the feint praise that he heaped upon the Progressive Conservative Party, although I believe it should be real praise when one compares the record of that government to the current government.
I listened very carefully because I, like all members of the House of Commons and the Senate, am extremely concerned about what is taking place. One only has to visit our local hospitals, and I have, the Aberdeen Hospital in New Glasgow, St. Martha's in Antigonish and other health clinics, to know the effect that is being felt at this time as a result of the drastic cutbacks that have been downloaded to the provinces as a result of this government's actions. It is, as the previous speaker has indicated, very stark when one considers that this surplus continues to grow while the provinces are crying out for reinvestment in this area.
It is fine to engage in this debate and to talk about what is wrong with the system, but what seems to be missing is: What are some positive initiatives that we can take?
The Progressive Conservative Party and the hon. member for New Brunswick Southwest, who is our health critic, have put forward some positive ideas. He talked first and foremost about the resources that need to be put back in, putting them back to 1993 levels. He also talked about convening a first ministers' conference with premiers.
What positive initiatives are the hon. member and his party putting forward as to how we could fix the crisis in health care? We could talk about it until the cows come home, but what is he presenting as a positive initiative that would work to move the yardstick forward in this area?