Mr. Speaker, the member makes a very important point, which is the underlying scenario that has led to the difficult position we are in today. We have had a decade of off-loading and deregulation by the federal government. In 1995 alone, $6 billion in cuts were made to the health, education and social infrastructure.
See what that has done? We have a government that takes its cash, cuts it back, off-loads the responsibility onto the provinces without commensurate ability to do it. At the same time, it guts the employment insurance program and moves people off EI onto social assistance, which is interestingly enough covered by and is under the responsibility of provincial governments.
We have this incredible dilemma being created by a federal government that has no commitment to its responsibilities at a national level. It has failed Canadians with respect to the Canada health and social transfer. It has failed Canadians with respect to education. It failed Canadians with respect to the Canada assistance plan by disbanding a program that at least provided for national standards to ensure that people did not fall below a certain level of economic security.