Mr. Chairman, since the member for Vancouver Centre earlier questioned the accuracy of statements that medicare was originally funded on a 50:50 cost shared basis, and since like all Liberals tonight she is dodging the questions about the federal role in financing health care, I want to put to her a recent statement by the hon. Monique Bégin, under whose ministry the Canada Health Act was established, and ask her if she agrees.
Monique Bégin said last February:
This legislative federal transfer [CHST] mechanism should be rescinded and a new Act written that would cover only health financing. The whole contentious issue of the value, and of the very fact, of tax points’ transfer to the provinces should be put to rest once and for all...Tax points transfers are a taxation capacity lost forever and they carry no enforcement power whatsoever. So let us stop talking about them. For both accountability purposes and for good governance, we should revert back to the spirit of a 50-50 cost-shared arrangement, block-funded by cash transfers established in multi-year blocks.
Will the member for Vancouver Centre indicate if she supports this approach?