Mr. Speaker, no one is denying in the House that the various health care networks have to look at the delivery of their services and that there is room for reorganization.
I myself provided the example of the meeting I had with the head of the emergency hospital centre. He explained that, in a winter storm, the person cleaning the entranceways is not the person doing the salting. These are examples of illogical working arrangements we have to reconsider. Situations we see now that are not logical, and not the best way to deliver the service.
My colleague has to agree, however, that the provinces, in their report said unanimously—and this includes Brian Tobin as well—that the federal government did not assume its funding responsibilities.
For every dollar the provinces invest in health care, the federal government, under its commitment, must set aside 50 cents. For every dollar spent, the federal government gives the provinces only 12 cents. We think something has to be done before we talk about co-operation.
Yes, the Minister of Health may want to meet his colleagues to find a way to reorganize the network. Yes, there are pressures that did not exist in the sixties. The so-called fourth age, the group made up of very old people, was not an issue. We did not have the same medical technologies. We can certainly understand that. Back then, people did not wish to remain in their community as long as they do now.
I hope the hon. member for Anjou—Rivière-des-Prairies, who is a Quebecer like me, will agree with the assessment made by the Quebec Minister of Health and Social Services, who is urging this government to assume its responsibilities.
Few stakeholders in the health sector do not agree that the federal government drastically reduced its financial support. I personally talked to Mr. Castonguay myself and I believe he acknowledged that the federal government had reduced its support.
I invite the government to co-operate. We will support its co-operative efforts. I also invite the parliamentary secretary to recognize that the federal government has reduced its support and that restoring transfer payments must be a prerequisite to any dialogue with the provinces. That is our conviction.