Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to take part in this debate, particularly following the speech made by my colleague, the member for Acadie—Bathurst who spoke with so much passion on issues affecting the human condition.
He truly does speak the truth regarding the federal government's inaction and the negligence of the Liberals, who are not prepared to deal with Canadians' needs as soon as possible.
My colleague from Acadie--Bathurst has addressed very clearly the fundamental issues dealing with Canadians that oblige the federal government, those members across the way, to act in response to those needs.
We are talking about institutions, programs and ideas that bind the country together and give us our identity as Canadians and that respect our values of caring, sharing, compassion and co-operation. We heard today from a member who is absolutely immersed in the issues facing unemployed Canadians today, those who have depended upon a sense of decency and morality from our government in terms of protection during times of unemployment for which they are not responsible. We have seen how the government has turned a blind eye and has refused to address those concerns and to ensure sufficient funds in the budget to protect workers and to deal with growing unemployment and economic insecurity.
Just as important as the question of a national unemployment insurance program, which is part of who we are as Canadians, is the question of medicare. What can be more important in terms of defining who we are and what is important to Canadians, and what begs for more attention from the government than the issue of health care?
How can those Liberals sit here today given what has happened on the health care front over the last few days and weeks? It threatens medicare and creates looming dangers for our most treasured national program. How can we sit here, how can they sit there, and not address those concerns? We are at the crossroads for medicare. Do the members opposite not get it? Do they not see the need to leap up and address those concerns?
We are in for the fight of our lives. It is time that the government recognized its role and responsibility in preserving Canada's most treasured national social program and in ensuring that every Canadian has access to quality health care services no matter where they live in the country or how much money they earn.
The budget we are dealing with basically ignored the number one issue in Canada. What did we get from the Minister of Finance's address last November on the budget? Two minutes for health care. Two minutes for the number one issue of Canadians. How much money did he promise Canadians in that budget for health care? It was a measly, crummy 2% of the increases that were introduced in that budget. What a shameful position for the number one issue in Canada and for a program that is on its deathbed unless the government gets off its butt and starts to act.
It is time to act. It is not too late. If the government did not get the message before it should have this past weekend, when the premiers of the country, the first ministers of provincial and territorial governments, got together with one voice to say to the Liberal government that it has shortchanged them, that it has not done its fair share and that the government owes it to the people of the country to at least restore the money it grabbed out of health care in 1995 and start to put us back on a co-operative footing in dealing with this very important issue.
Funding obviously is not the whole answer, but it is certainly one part of it. It is certainly key in terms of the very unstable footing that medicare is on today. The budget was an opportunity to correct the funding slippage that underlies much of the provincial discontent we are seeing all around us. It was a way of signalling to all Canadians that the federal government takes seriously their concerns over health care. It was a way to tell the provinces and territories that the federal government is listening, is willing to work as a partner in establishing a new foundation for the future of public health care, and that it merits a national leadership role in discussions of how financial resources ought to be allocated.
It was, for goodness' sake, an opportunity to strengthen our ailing acute care system and to flag a federal commitment to address a broken promise to put in place much needed national home care and pharmacare programs, initiatives that could be developed in good faith with the provinces. The provinces have just sent a clear signal to the government that they want a national approach. They want the government to act and they are taking action into their own hands because of the abdication of leadership by the government and the complete abandonment of health care to Canadians and provincial and territorial governments.
It goes without saying that we cannot change the way we deliver health care without paying the movers, without financing the costs of change. That is what we expected in the budget: a way to move our costs for the health care system into a more innovative, cost efficient method of delivering health care. That takes federal leadership and vision. There is none coming from the federal benches across the way that is apparent to us.
Goodness gracious, we know about the finance minister's brief, almost insulting mention of health care in the budget address last November. We know that the former Minister of Health basically abandoned this field and will go down in history as the minister of unfinished business. Now we have a new health minister who has the audacity to mutter out loud, to speculate out loud, about the advantages of opening up the Canada Health Act and about the benefits of private delivery models.
Today Senator Kirby comes down with another report, Senator Kirby, who is in a direct conflict of interest position because of his ties to private health care businesses like Extendicare and who has no business heading up any kind of discussion and dialogue about health care in the country. Today of all days we need the government to stand up and say “We are absolutely committed to the principles of medicare”. It should not just stand there and say it is joining the hallelujah chorus. We need more than hallelujahs from the Prime Minister. We need some action. We need some programs behind those words. We need some leadership. We cannot just sit back and let it drift and let the situation unfold, because that is when private forces mobilize. That is when right wing provinces will want to use this time of weakness of the federal government to advance their right wing agendas. We cannot let that happen.
That is why it is so important, today of all days, for the government to address the question of budgeting and of moving toward at least a 25% share in health care. The provinces have asked for at least 18%. My goodness, whatever way we look at it we are a long way from the 50:50 partnership that built health care in the country and we are a long way from doing what Canadians want us to do.
We have a $12 billion surplus today. Do they mean to tell me that the government cannot come up with $7 billion to the provinces and the territories to ensure that we are at least able to meet the looming crisis and guarantee adequate access for Canadians right across the country? Do they mean to say that with this kind of budgetary surplus the government does not have the commitment, the wherewithal, the vision and the determination to address the number one issue of Canadians?
The challenge for the government today is to get off its high horse, get out of its confined position and say “We can turn this around today. We will address our wrongdoing of the past and this budget will see supplementary money allocated for health care and will see transitional funds put in place to help provinces deal with the kinds of difficult situations they presently have while we wait for the Roy Romanow commission”.
The government has no business saying it will put everything on hold until November 2002. We cannot wait. The crisis is almost upon us. The clouds are looming around us. We must act. The federal government owes it to Canadians to put the money on the table to ensure that medicare is sustained, preserved and protected for today, for tomorrow and for all future generations.