Friday, April 14, 1967

favor continuation, and in some cases extensions, of many Conservative programs, including the continued protection of our right to offshore mineral deposits, continu- ing resource development, civil service salary increases. They even made a gesture in increasing school teachers salaries. They are in favor of continuing A.R.D.A. pro- grams; they are in favor of continuin crop insurance; they are going to continue the Conservative instituted Fertilizer Su idy program. They are in favor of building roads, increasing tax facilities, and indeed about fifty other paragraphs that cover items promoted y the past Government.

However, Mr. Speaker, I think it would be much more simple to cover perhaps in one short paragraph these items in which they could assure the Legislature and the people of the Province that the new Government indeed agrees with, and will continue to promote, all Conservative policies. Perhaps in another paragraph they could detail anything new which they might have in mind. Governments in general, Mr. Speaker, have a tendency to produce unnecessary paper work. Please remember that the length of the document is no indication as to it’s importance. To illustrate, let me give you a few examples. The Lord’s Prayer contains only fifty-six words; the Gettysburg Address contains two hundred and sixty-six words; the Ten Commandments two hund- red and ninety-seven words, the twenty-third Psalm a hundred and eighteen words. Now, this document, Sir, containing nearly four thousand words, resembles much more closely a Federal Government order on ca'bbage prices with twenty-nine thousand nine hundred and eleven words.

Mr. Speaker, I would be remiss, too, if I did not make passing reference to an- other extensive catalogue of promises, suggestions, predictions, and in some cases guarantees. I refer, of course, to the Liberal Party Election Platform as outlined and described in the press, T.V., radio, speeches in halls, and in the general canvass by the members, candidates and other party officials and workers. You remember, Sir, the platform they used to get on the train. Well let’s examine one or two items as an example. I would not want to embarrass the Government unduly but there really are some dandies. Let us take one from a full page advertisement in the Eastern Graphic of May 18th, 1966. Under the neral heading “Here is the Liberal Program for Prince Edward Islan ” item No. 3 0 that program, reads as follows: “School Tax Relief.” Property Taxation under the Shaw Government has reached intolerable levels and must be reduced. A new Liberal Government will ap int a committee immediately to study problems of taxation with the objective of a lishing urban and rural tax- ation and finding equitable alternative means of financing education.” Now, it seems to me that school boards are continuing to send invoices for school taxes and continu- ing to collect them, and the Premier, in his capacity, the Attorney General answered a question the other day that this is still le a1. Now, both the Premier and the Min- ister of Education, I trust, are familiar wit this announced Policy because, they are certainly both educated men and they should certainly know the meaning of the word “immediately," particularly since it was they who used it. In any case. I presume they would have access to a good dictionary, in case, this is not the case, in case per- haps my first thoughts the meaning of the word, I could be wrong, I find in Webster's new Nth century Dictionary, “immediately" means “havin nothing come in between, not separated in time, next in order, next in line, without de ay, at once, instantly," and in the Oxford Dictionary “immediately” means “with no rson, thing, or distance in- temuing in time space, order or succession, without de ay, instantly.” Now, I think this Government has an excellent record in the field of publicity, in press releases, in alibis in excuses, in attempts to blame somebody else. But I don’t know how they can alibi their way out of this one.

Now, Mr. Speaker, during the campaign the Liberal candidates and workers raised the hopes of the electorate with the promise of this immediate action, and hopes were allowed and indeed encouraged to rise in the breast of each taxpayer that school taxes would soon be eliminated. I submit, Sir, that this is another case of misre re- sentation. While we are on the subject of Government and misrepresentation an on education, let’s talk about another promise. This one they said, will supply free school books to students from grade 1 to 10, and establish a rental system program to pro- vide school books to pupils of 11 to grade 12. Now, as we know Sir, during the past year certain books were loaned to pupils from grades 1 to 8. but these are not free.

Honourable Gordon L. Bennett: Give the definition of the word “free". Lloyd G. MacPhail: Sir, I’m coming to that. —178—