Mr. Chair, if I may, I will put things in a factual context. I am looking at page 224 of the budget document for this year, in 2007-08, the last fiscal year, cash transfers are at an all time high and have grown to almost 19% of total federal spending, their highest level in almost 30 years.
I must say that after we moved forward with the efforts we were making toward creating fiscal balance, the steps we took based on the O'Brien report were welcomed by the Government of Quebec and resulted in $8 billion through equalization, an increase of over 67% from 2005-06; $5.5 billion through the Canada health transfer, $2.5 billion through the Canada social transfer, as I say, an increase of $4.5 billion since the Liberal government of 2005-06.
The resolution of this issue has been accepted and welcomed in Quebec, no doubt because it benefits Quebec substantially.