PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY SPEECHES Official Report SPEAKER: HONOURABLE PROSPER ARSENAULT

SECOND SESSION OF THE FIFTY-FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY Wednesday, March 15, 1967

March 16, 1967 Bruce L. Stewart (First Kings):

Mr. Speaker, is there anything before the House? Mr. Speaker: Nothing before the House.

Bruce L. Stewart: I move, seconded by Mr. Jardine, that the following address be presented to his Honour, the Lieutenant-Governor, to offer the humble thanks of

this House to his Honour, for the gracious speech which he has been pleased to make _to this House at the opening of the present Session. ,

“We your Majesty's dutiful and loyal subjects of the Legislative Assembly at this time 1n Session assembled, beg leave to offer our humble thanks to Your Honour

fsoemhe- gracious Speech which your Honour has been pleased to open the present on ’

Mr. Speaker, in conjunction with a resolution that was passed this afternoon, I beg leave to break with regular tradition with this House.

Walter R. Shaw: You are out of order.

Bruce L. Stewart. This is a serious matter, Mr. Leader of the Opposition; I

beg leave to break with regular tradition with this House as I ask you all to stand

with me as we stand for one minute’s silence in memory of the ten brave fishermen,

the crew of the “Iceland II”, who lost their lives a few short days ago, and to offer

sympathy to the wives, to their children, and their loved ones in this tragedy at

sea which claimed eight of our Souris boys, as well as one from Rustico, and one from North Burin, Newfoundland. Shall we all stand?

Mr. Speaker, I am conscious of the very great honour that has been given me, and the First District of Kings, by the Premier in asking me to move the adoption of The Speech from the Throne.

I feel very diffident, as I am sure any new member would be. when one con- siders the numbers of great Islanders, who over the years, have taken their place in this Chamber.

From the granting of Responsible Government in 1861 to our Confederation in 1873, six times the electorate of this province has chosen a Liberal government, and six times they have chosen a Conservative government. However, the people of our province showed greater selectivity from Confederation in 1873 until the present day, when in the formation of that period of some twenty-five governments (with the ex- ception of a coalition in 1876), fourteen Liberal premiers were returned to power, while the Conservatives made it on just eleven occasions.

I also note with some interest, Mr. Speaker, that although the Honourable J. C. Pope, the first Premier of this province, at the time of Confederation was a Con- servative, yet the electorate found it both wise and expedient to terminate the first hundred years of Canada as a nation with the capable, the energetic and dynamic youthful Liberal Premier of this province, the Honourable Alexander B. Camp bell. (Ap lause) This honourable gentleman was likewise further honoured in being chosen dlrect our provincial destinies as we, with the rest of Canada, attempt to resolve the trials and to share in the triumphs of our great nation as we embarkp on the next hundred years.

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