Tuesday, March 21, 1967

Honourable Alexander B. Campbell: “. . . that Ottawa would pay half the cost of the Old Age Assistance retroactive to April first. It is still better that we get each aI telegram and release it rather than the Liberals and claim the credit for t emse ves.”

Walter R. Shaw: Might I ask my honourable friend about this verbal agreement? Honourable Alexander B. Campbell: This is what your “ghost-writer" says.

Walter R. Shaw: Where did that verbal agreement, who was it sent to? Who did they discuss it with?

Honourable Alexander B. Campbell: It was well known to the public generally, Sir, because at this date The Canada Assistance Act was before the House of Com- mons in Ottawa.

Walter R. Show: That’s no verbal agreement.

Honourable Alexander B. Campbell: The details of it were well known to the Canadian public.

Walter R. Shaw: That’s no verbal agreement, Mr. Speaker.

Honourable Alexander B. Campbell: And you and the Opposition go to the public, to the people of Prince Edward Island and say that Ottawa is fighting this, they don’t want you to get this money and added to that you claim that regardless of the answer the provincial government will go ahead with its program of increased assistance at once.

Walter R. Shaw: That’s right.

Honourable Alexander B. Campbell: They were going to ignore the federal government if necessary. Mr. Speaker, we can’t ignore a million and a quarter dollars, and we are asking the senior citizens of this province to fill out these forms, if they ill, and send them into the Department of Welfare and help this province collect that money. That form will have no effect on their future pensions or their past ensions, but it will help this province make a million and one quarter dollars which e need to finance the programs which we have proposed in the Speech from the rone. So with all this talk of the “Robichaud Raiders,” Mr. Speaker, here we have idden away in back rooms these chaps from Upper Canada down in this province hrough the election writing little notes advising the then Government of what their ext news statement will be and what their next strategy will be.

Robert E. Campbell: Terrible!

Honourable Alexander B. Campbell: Then on the “hustings”. On went all hese announcements and the pronouncements. Why there was a meeting in O'Leary n May 26th and that meeting was reported, Mr. Speaker, in the Guardian of the ollowing day where the Leader of the Government at that time made the statement hat a company had made a substantial deposit for a fishing industry in Alberton.

Honourable Robert E. Campbell: There now you got it.

Honourable Alexander B. Campbell: We have gone to the Department of In- ustry and we have looked all through the Department of Industry, we have inquired f the Deputy Minister there, we have inquired here and there and we can’t find hat deposit. Now where is it?

Mr. Speaker, a Conservative candidate from the same platform that same night id there are good things coming for O’Leary too, because he had seen the blue- rints of a plant that was just on the verge of being built. We have looked for the lue—print, Mr. Speaker. . . . .

H. George Dewar: Who made that statement?

Honourable Alexander B. Campbell: Now if the deposit was made to the Pro- ressive Conservative party we would ask them to turn it over so that we could put t to good use for the people of this province.

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