Mr. Speaker, the Bloc members still know only one tune. I do not think they listen to what we have to say. As my colleagues said earlier, federal-provincial relations are balanced in Canada.
I think we can say that the government's financial situation is better than it was before, and it makes us very proud. Our government has done a remarkable job in balancing our public finances. Caution and efficiency have paid off for the government.
Surpluses have been a long time coming. My colleagues from the Bloc have a short memory. We had deficits from 1981 until 1997. All in all, over $506 billion in deficits. In comparison, deficits from 1993 to 2000 totalled $35.8 billion. We have to continue to be careful.
Fortunately, this is something the governing party, the Liberal Party, has realized. My colleagues from the opposition parties and the Bloc in particular have a long way to go. We should not forget that the provinces also have surpluses, as well as a whole series of tax measures. They can collect personal income taxes, corporate taxes as well as sale taxes. They also get revenues from the lotteries, the sale of alcoholic beverages and the development of natural resources.
Transfers to the provinces also go to show how balanced our federation is. For instance, equalization payments help the provinces provide similar services to everyone in Canada. The federal government is assuming its responsibilities. It is providing all Canadians with equal opportunities through transfers and programs. These strategic investments are well targeted, something the public appreciates.
Under the various transfers, the provinces are free to set their own priorities. My colleagues from the Bloc are quoting those conclusions of the conference board that serve their own purposes. I would remind the House that this study shows that Quebec will have a deficit in 2002-03. However, on March 13, Le Soleil reported that the Quebec finance minister keeps saying that there will not be a deficit this year.
I am interested to know what the Bloc Quebecois thinks about this. Do my friends from the Bloc still totally support this study? We believe that a 20 year forecast is a very long period. Most forecasters do not go beyond two years in their studies. Moreover, the conference board assumptions are unrealistic. They take for granted that in the next 20 years there will be no recession, no tax cuts and no new spending. It is unrealistic.
One does not need an degree in economics to know that this is not going to happen. Things change.
The Bloc has joined with the Seguin commission to ask for the abolition of the Canada health and social transfer. Why abolish a program that is working so well? Quebec gets a lot from this program, from a financial as well as a social standpoint. Thanks to this program, the province has more money to invest in health and social programs, based on Quebecers' needs.
For example, in 2002-03, Quebec will get $8.5 billion, and during the next few years, this amount will go up. Following the agreement of September 11, 2000 , there will be a $5 billion increase over five years in the cash transfers through the Canada health and social transfer. Once again, the Quebec government will be able to use that money as it sees fit.
Furthermore, I believe my friends from the Bloc Quebecois should have a long term rather than a short term vision. However, it is true that the way things are going the Bloc might not be here for a long time.
If the provinces kept revenues from the GST, this would be a disadvantage for Quebec. Such a change would result in increasing inequities among the Canadian provinces. The Liberal Party has always wanted to ensure equal opportunities for all Canadians. Moreover, such a transfer would be difficult to apply to provinces other than Quebec.
My colleagues from the sovereignist party can campaign on this issue but I am sure they will not reach their objective. A consensus with the provinces outside Quebec is not possible.
With the Séguin commission and the resulting demands, my colleagues from the Bloc and the Parti Quebecois believe they have found a way to embarrass the federal government. They say they want to improve federal-provincial relations and, consequently, the federation. Come on. The Bloc improve the federation? No one is fooled. The prime objective of my colleagues of the Bloc and the separatists of the Parti Quebecois is to make Quebec a sovereign state. All they want is to dismantle Canada. This is their objective.
A new fiscal arrangement would help to increase the autonomy of the Quebec government and to put aside the Government of Canada. For my colleagues, the sovereignists, greater autonomy boils down to a greater independence and, consequently, to Quebec's sovereignty.
They should stop using roundabout means to reach their objective. They should tell the truth. They should be honest with Quebecers. They would soon realize that the members of the Bloc are not speaking on Quebec's behalf, but on their own.
I always heard that the Bloc was a leftist party, but what a surprise it is to hear its members talking about balance. They are not taking the economic element into consideration.
I will say this in another way. The federal government is constantly trying to maintain the balance in public finances and in the common good. The prosperity and happiness of a society are not measured only by the thickness of one's wallet. We have understood this well.
This is why we have developed various social initiatives such as the strategy against tobacco, the antiterrorist legislation, the anti-gang legislation, the new immigration legislation and the employment insurance reform.
I will stop here because I know an hour would not be enough for me to list everything. I believe that it must be understood that our government has an overall and long term vision, which makes the difference. This is certainly why the Liberals are in office and Canadians continue to put their faith in us. Can the Bloc Quebecois make the same claim? I do not think so.
My colleague spoke earlier about transfers and economic development. We have seen what the provinces and municipalities across the country can do in these areas. Finally, when it comes to transfers between the federal government and the provinces, the majority of these transfers, as I mentioned earlier, are in the fields of health and social programs.
Let us look at other things the federal government has accomplished thanks to the different ministers. Let us take the example of the Minister for International Trade. Thanks to his quite practical policies that show such extraordinary vision, we have managed to increase revenue levels in Canada. Before, international trade revenues accounted for around 25% of our GDP, now international trade revenues make up more than 45% of Canada's GDP.
These federal government policies yield direct benefits to the provinces, and also to Canadians, in the end, whether they be from Quebec or anywhere else in Canada.
Another issue. Let us take the example of the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance's policy in the field of taxation. We have seen how federal prudence has led to extraordinary benefits, particularly when it comes to interest and inflation rates, which are very low now. Both of these federal fiscal policies benefit the provinces directly, and Canadians too, including Quebecers.
If we take these two examples alone, the government's international trade policy, which brings in lots of revenues to Canada, and the government's domestic fiscal policy, these two issues provide direct benefits to the provinces and to Canadians.
As regards confederation and the different areas, the provinces, including municipalities across Canada, have all of the means necessary to try to find opportunities for citizens in their province or municipality. It is not always entirely up to the federal government. When things go well, everyone is happy to take the federal government's money, but when there are problems, then they begin to blame the federal government.
The provincial, municipal and community levels all have their responsibilities. Finally, we should all take our responsibilities seriously. The provinces should take their responsibilities seriously too, and set up fiscal and economic policies that meet the needs of their citizens.
My colleague from the Canadian Alliance said that Alberta paid out much more money than it should. So they will be very glad to discuss federal transfer payments to the provinces. Mr. Harris, in Ontario, will probably be quite glad and will probably agree with my colleague from the Bloc Quebecois that we should discuss federal transfer payments.
That is not the way this federation was built. It is based on more solid ground than just transfer payments between the federal government and the provinces. This federation is based on equality for all citizens, on justice and on the feeling that we are at home throughout this country.
Examples abound. It is just never said that something is perfect. We say we keep striving for the ideal system. Canada is an ideal country. There is a good reason for the fact that, five years in a row, the UN said that Canada was the best country to live in.
I wonder why my colleagues from the Bloc Quebecois have never realized how beautiful this country is. They have never come to their senses to tell us “We made a mistake”. We will forgive you. That is fine. Everybody makes mistakes. Nobody is perfect.
We are saying that we will do our utmost to build a Canada that is strong, that is fair and that provides equal opportunities for all. It is possible to be Quebecers, to believe in Quebec and in Canada. Let our colleagues rise and say “We love Canada, we want to build a strong country, a Canada that provides equal opportunities, a Canada that takes care of its people”. I guarantee that, on this side of the House, we will applaud. But saying that discussions will start all over between Canada and the provinces to resume an old battle will not meet the needs of Quebecers.
Let us go back to the nineties. Mr. Speaker, you were a member of this House then, as you are today. We remember the issue of federal transfers to the provinces. Had the cuts imposed by the Conservatives been maintained, next year and the year after that, there would have been no money at all transferred from the federal government to the provinces for health and education.
We went through difficult times, no doubt about that. Times were hard. We had a $42 billion deficit and a debt of more than $500 billion. Something had to be done.
As soon as we succeeded in having a surplus, in balancing the government's budget, we started investing in education and health. What is more, for the first time in modern Canadian history, the provinces were given something they did not have until then: certainty. When a transfer is made to the provinces, they can now plan for five years without any fear of federal government cuts. This is something that did not exist before. This has been accomplished through the leadership of this government and the ministers responsible for Human Resources Development, and others.
My colleagues should rise and applaud the work that has been done by the federal government, the leadership it has shown over the past nine years. They should say that this federation is one of the best in the world. I am certain that my colleagues on this side of the House will applaud them. This is the reason for the difficulty with this motion.