Mr. Speaker, I am very glad to answer my colleague's question.
I think it is important to realize that as a confederation Canada has always made sure that the poorer regions, the regions under greater stress, the regions that need extra help, do get extra help. I would suggest quite clearly that the number of dollars in the health care system has increased dramatically. At this time, if we add the tax transfers to the cash transfers, $34.6 billion is being spent in Canada on those items. At the same time, we have social transfers to provinces that have more problems. Through departments such as Human Resources Development there have been and are programs to help people in weaker provinces, provinces with higher unemployment, provinces with difficulties.
Therefore it is not only the dollars that are going to the health care system to help Newfoundland and Labrador or to help Atlantic Canada, it is the dollars that go into all of our social transfers, the dollars that go into our stabilization payments, and the dollars that go into programming to make certain that all Canadians have access to services.
Quite frankly, I know there are some areas that have a little more difficult times than others, but over the years we as Liberals always have worked hard to defend those areas and make sure they got reasonable payments.