Mr. Speaker, I listened with great interest to the speech made by my colleague but, as is often the case, this government manages to find a solution that is more complicated than needed to solve the problem.
I too represent a rural riding and I am very aware of the situation that exists in health care. The question that I will ask of my colleague is the one that everyone in my riding has been asking, especially over the last month or two, ever since it has been known that the government had a $9 billion surplus last year, and will have another surplus of several billions this year, while the provinces' health care needs are not being met.
Why does the government not apply a simple solution to the fiscal imbalance problem and find a way of transferring the necessary funds to the provinces to enable them to adequately manage their health care system? This is what has to be done so hospitals in the provinces can have the equipment and the staff they need.
It is not about having somewhat useless debates, as is the case today, on a problem that has been known about for a very long time. Will the government finally decide to transfer the money to the provinces so they can take their responsibilities?