Madam Speaker, I suppose I could go as far back as Diefenbaker. In my community in Canada, Diefenbaker and the Conservative government are dirty words. That was the only time they were deprived of the opportunity to actually work.
However, I will set the record straight. I can go back as far as he would like to go back, but I will go only as far as this. In 2005 we established a system of $40 billion over a 10 year period, or $4 billion a year, in health transfers to the provinces. Later that year, we established another $32 billion transfer to the provinces through an equalization program. That was another $3 billion a year. That was $7 billion a year, starting in 2005 ending 2015, going to provinces in order to meet higher education and health care costs.
That is darn good and a heck of a lot more than any of the issues the Conservatives want to talk about on reduced services. Those were designed to improve them. Let those who did not improve them assume the responsibility.