Mr. Chair, the hon. member raises a very important question. That is why, starting in 2004, we will have a Canadian health transfer, CHT, which will make absolutely plain to Canadians and to each of the provinces and territories how much money the federal taxpayer is sending to the provinces. That Canadian health transfer will include both the cash and the value of the tax points so it will be absolutely clear to Canadians, as it relates to those two components which have made up heretofore the Canadian health and social transfer, the amount of money either in cash or tax points being transferred to the provinces.
For fiscal 2003-04 that amount of money, including and reflecting the increase through the health reform fund and the cash increase, will be $38.8 billion. That includes the tax transfer, the cash and the new money for this coming fiscal year, which flowed out of the health reform agreement.
However the hon. member raises a really good point. Canadians want to know how many of their federal tax dollars, be it cash or tax points, are going to support health care. We are going to create a health transfer. It will be completely transparent and Canadians will know and be able to say to the provinces that this is how much cash they have and this is the value of theirs tax points. They then will be able to ask the provinces how much is their total health care expenditures, how much of it is federal and how much of it is provincial tax dollars and what are Canadians getting for that?
The federal government is putting in more money every year. “Am I getting better health outcomes” is the kind of question to which expanded reporting will provide an answer. Canadians have a right to those answers. Canadians want those answers. Things like the Health Council will help provide those answers and analyze where the money goes and whether we getting better health outcomes for the dollars that are spent.