Mr. Speaker, the provinces have very serious and onerous responsibilities to discharge; so does the Government of Canada. We have very similar tax bases. Indeed the provinces have access to some tax resources that the Government of Canada does not. I think of royalties and lottery proceeds for example.
All in all, each of us within our own jurisdiction must discharge our responsibilities to the full extent of our fiscal capacity. I would point out that through health care, equalization and a number of other programs, we are transferring not just traditional amounts but substantially increased amounts of federal revenue to assist the provinces.