Madam Speaker, I have listened to the excellent speech by my Canadian Alliance colleague. There is indeed a great deal of waste within the federal government, because of its decision to encroach on areas that are not under its jurisdiction.
As the administrator of all provinces and territories, the federal government should manage general areas such as national defence and the post office, but not those areas in which the provinces are calling for full jurisdiction.
Last week in Vancouver, all of the provincial premiers and territorial leaders, were present, and for once Quebec was there. They were unanimous in demanding that the federal government put more funds into the health system.
Here in the House of Commons, there are members on both sides of the floor, whether in power or in opposition, who represent areas in all of the provinces and territories. We are all in touch with the needs of our communities and we know that they are calling for health care. The last time there were reforms in the provinces, all of them were forced to reform their health care system, whether in Ontario, Quebec or British Columbia. They all called for far more money for health care.
The provinces are in the best position to know what the needs are in their community as far as equipment, physician and nurse training and psychiatric and other care goes and to provide what is necessary to deliver good health care. This is why the provinces have carried out reforms and meet together regularly.
Yet we in this House, regardless of which side we are on, all have a connection to these premiers who are calling for federal government assistance. I think we have a duty today to do as the Canadian Alliance member has, and call upon the government, upon the cabinet, to pay more attention to the demands of the provincial premiers and territorial leaders.
April 30 is the deadline for the premiers' threat to withdraw from the social union, the one Premier Lucien Bouchard did not sign.
In closing, I would like to ask whether the hon. member is prepared to agree with me that those in the best position to know what is needed in the health field are the provincial premiers, because they are the ones who have administered health care within their provinces, and have done so with far less funding than before?