Legislative Assembly

Honourable Daniel J. MacDonald: In Canada, yes.

Frank Myers: In the next five to ten years. Well this is serious. Without joking this is serious but we find a great many of our farmers are selling their farms at a high price. Yes somewhat, to what we call foreign buyers. If you will go out to my own district I can take you Mr. Minister to one of the finest homesteads in that dis- trict, in fact in any place in Prince Edward Island. Last year he sold the farm to three brothers from, I think, Montreal. They just bought it to have a summer home here, they are coming home one each month and spread it out for a period of three months. The sad part is they are letting the land go which just shouldn't be when it is so badly needed. I am looking, and I say this without any hesitation. when the Causeway is finished Prince Edward Island will be a playground for our tourist friends from Upper Canada and also the Eastern United States. I have been on some of their beaches and they are simply over-crowded and that is one of the main reasons why they like to get down here to Prince Edward Island where the beaches are not crowded. But at the present time if we don't hunt up other beaches for those tourist friends of ours that come year after year I am afraid they will become distinterested and we will be in a very bad situation. Because the tourist industry is going ahead year after year and I would stand to be corrected on this. but to my knowledge the tourist industry has passed the fishery industry. I see the Minister of Fisheries there and if he would like to contradict that well I don’t mind it indeed because I am not exactly sure of that.

Now what do we find? I am just trying to give a resume of the activities. Oh this is a good one here. This is terrible altogether. I copied off you. Sir, I heard you saying terrible so often, I am sorry Sir. But this is it and it is not in the Throne Speech. Now this is why I was so serious in trying to help the Premier in all fairness. I know the difficulty he is in. Perhaps before I mention this we can turn our thoughts back to 1951. No, 1952. A former Provincial Treasurer said and I still remember his words. “If this province can ever hope to achieve any degree of financial independence we must set our goal to accomplish a combination of three things. First, an increased population. Secondly, an expansion of industry, and thirdly, a reduction or elimina- tion of our public debt." Now that is a difficult situation. I will delete that word. The new Premier will be in and he has my sincere sympathy when he looks out over Prince Edward Island to see things moving ahead. May I express the hope that it will not start moving back.

But this one here bothers me and no doubt it bothers him for what has hap- pened about abolishing rural and urban school taxes. The unfortunate part is there is nothing in the Speech from the Throne to make this possible. But Mr. Speaker, we have no fears I think everything will be alright because this is the report here of what they call a “hootennany” down in the Second District of Kings on Tuesday, May 17th, 1966. The Guardian and a reputable paper that is because the Guardian “covers Prince Edward Island like the dew." That means every home in Prince Ed- ward Island receives a copy of that paper and here is what he had to say.

Honourable Robert E. Campbell: What’s a “hootennany”?

Frank Myers: “It is unfortunate indeed,” and it took place down in Monticello schoolhouse and this is what he had to say and without discounting the candidate there at that time, they are all friends of mine. I had the privilege one time of visit- ing that farm down there and they are good farmers indeed. Now this is what he had to say. “The young St. Peters farmer stressed that to relieve this oppressive burden a Liberal government is pledged to a far-seeing program which will result in the complete abolishing of all school taxes.” (Applause). Now just imagine that, Mr. Speaker."

Honourable Robert E. Campbell: Terrible! Terrible!

Frank Myers: Poor Mr. Premier look at the difficult situation he is in at the present time with not enough financial help here in this province or Ottawa to carry out those promises. Not much wonder that I am making this speech on a very sad note and I also empathize with him because he is a nice chap. Then in view of that perhaps we should bear those few words in mind and I think they are well chosen words by the same. You are asking what a “hootennany” is; I don’t know

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