Monday, April 24, 1967

that 2.5 million dollars was taken off the price of that office building, then it would not be a very expensive building as far as this province is concerned. We are talking about Centennial year, and I am going to mention it shortly, but we don’t seem to have any Centennial roject as far as the province is concerned except that, and I subrmt that, we should have got our allowance from Ottawa on that prOJect.

During the campaign, the election campaign, there was a great deal of talk about municipal taxes being assisted by the Government. During the last year which we were in power, a study was started to bring about a plan whereby the vernment and the municipalities could settle all their tax matters between the seve bodies on uniformity. This matter was commenced and was being carried on to determine the pattern in other places. In the Speech from the Throne it doesn’t mention anything about it; we don’t hear a thing about it; we wonder if it has been forgotten? I submit that the Government is going to find itself obliged to consider more definitely and to a greater responsibility, the taxes that have to be paid by the municipalities. In this particular City we have a lot of government property. The question is, how should that be treated? That was the question that we set about studying to see what the

attem, what should be a pattern, and what would be a reasonable pattern that could he agreed upon between the City of Charlottetown an dthe Province of Prince Edward Island. The same in respect to the Town of Summerside, and the other town and municipalities. At the present time there are grants given, per capita , and these grants are of great assistance. But there should be a pattern on w h there is some basis of requirement and contribution by the province determined by a fixed

formula of some type.

In regard to the Civil Service. A great many of the civil servants live in this city, some of them on the outskirts, but practically all in the two electoral districts which comprise the city. Years ago, civil servants were brought in by political friends and put on the job and they went about and did their work as well as they could. This was not a good program. It was not a good way so far as the service was concerned and the people were concerned. In order to get away from that the Civil Service Act was passed by the last Government and put into operation in such a way that merit and the continued development of the Civil Service would result in better people, more satisfied with their jobs, more satisfied and encouraged to develop their knowledge along the lines that they were working. With this in view it was set out that all employees should pass an examination of some type to indicate their ability to perform the duties for which they were to be engaged. This has been sort of by- passed on many occasions; some of the newer employees hired by this Government have not completed the civil service examinations, and there has been no advertise- ment for the vacancies. There is no notice of an advertisement or the creation of a vacancy and for this reason we have, at the present time, a certain dissatisfaction among many of the civil servants as to what is going on, because they feel that they are going to slip back to the same old position they were in 'before, at the whim of the political party that is in power. Now I submit that this should be remedied and this

should be stopped. Some Member: Mr. Speaker, would the speaker permit a question?

M. Alban Farmer: Yes, indeed. Some Member: Could you name a situation, Sir, that you speik about. M. Alban Farmer: I gather you know it 'well enough without ny naming it.

Some Member: You are not prepared to .....

M. Alban Farmer: No, but I will tell you I think you know it 811:! I am not going to name any names, I think you know .....

Some Member: You can’t Sir. M. Alban Farmer: Yes, I can, Sir.

M. Alban Farmer: There’s lots of them and you better look anund and you will find out about it.

Some Member: What are you talking about, temporary emplosee"! M. Alban Farmer: No they are not temporary. _2so_