Mr. Speaker, the tune being sung these days by the Liberal candidate in the byelection in Berthier—Montcalm is a well known Liberal tune in Quebec: silence.
While the ADQ, PLQ and PQ unanimously passed a resolution in the National Assembly of Quebec, demanding that federal health transfers be unconditional, an embarrassed Liberal candidate saw his federal Liberal friends reiterate their intention to set out conditions.
Worse yet, instead of going ahead with the health care reform, the Liberals decided the best thing was to further centralize by creating a new bureaucracy in Ottawa to deal with health.
After cutting nearly $150 million in health alone in the riding of Berthier—Montcalm and in Lanaudière, the Liberals now want to pass themselves off as saviours. Having set the fire, they are now trying to put it out.
We have here a Liberal candidate who says he has to defend what is indefensible. It is clearer now why this candidate once was a contributor to the Bloc Quebecois. Deep down, he knows full well that the Bloc is the only party in Ottawa—