Mr. Speaker, first, I want to read the motion again, since I will be the last speaker today. Our motion reads as follows:
That, as the federal government's 16% contribution to health care spending is clearly inadequate, this House urge the government to invest at least half the current year's surplus in health care, over and above the $2 billion already promised, in order to achieve as rapidly as possible the stable 25% federal contribution called for by Quebec and the provinces.
We are not the ones saying that the federal government is contributing only 16%; the experts and provincial representatives are saying this. The message of the provinces' big ad campaign is that the federal contribution to health care should be no less than 25%.
It is totally unacceptable to see people in every province pay such high federal taxes when there is no return in health.
We know that the top priority is health care. Health is our top priority in Quebec, among others. I said earlier, when I asked a question, that in my area, a Montréal suburb, during a 48-hour period, people had to be transferred to hospitals such as the one in Joliette or elsewhere, because emergency care could not be provided. This is unacceptable.
That is the problem. The transfer payments are not enough. The $2 billion amount was agreed upon. As my colleagues also pointed out, I could not say how many times it was announced, since it was done so often. It is now a done deal. We know that this $2 billion was given to the provinces. But they need more.
We know that there will be a very large surplus. In any case, each time there is talk of a surplus, the federal government always underestimates and then ends up with a much higher amount. Annual surpluses should go to the provinces. We are only asking for a part of the surplus to go to the provinces.
It is true that the debt has to be paid down. We agree with that. This is not the question. Of course it has to be paid down. However, the urgent and pressing health care needs of the provinces also have to be taken in into consideration.
The Quebec government is spending most of its budget on health care, and this expenditure is increasing every year because we can never see the light at the end of the tunnel. The Quebec Minister of Health announced this week that he would not be able to solve the problem in the next two or three years because he did not have enough money. And money does not grow on trees.
I would like people to realize that the government has nevertheless accumulated considerable surpluses. It also cut the employment insurance fund. Let us face it. This is the reality people are confronted to every day. Appropriate measures have to be taken, especially for health care. Health is a priority. It is a vital priority. Without health, we are going nowhere. Health should be the priority. The next time government runs a surplus, it will have to be invested where it is needed.
According to our motion, all provinces should be getting at least 25% in transfers. Then, we can start thinking about a way to overcome our current problems.
