Madam Speaker, my answer to my colleague, the parliamentary secretary, is simple: It is a matter of political choice.
I already anticipated that we would be told that $19 billion has already been invested, with an additional $1 billion now, for long-term care standards. I would remind the member that these are one-time payments. Agreement after agreement, Canadian transfer payments, which are supposed to be permanent, predictable and recurrent, are being cut.
We are not asking the government to cut funding anywhere else, but rather to assume its responsibilities and give the provinces and territories their fair share of the funding allocated.