Wednesday, May 10, 1967

M. Alban Farmer: That isn’t a reasonable question at all. Because first of all you have to find out what your debt charges are.

Honourable George J. Ferguson: Well we know what they are.

M. Alban Farmer: You know what they are, well that doesn't indicate exactly what your debt is at all. Because on some of that debt you have not paid any debt charges yet.

Honourable George J. Ferguson: Well we know we paid it last year.

M. Alban Farmer: I know, but you didn't pay some on that yet so that isn’t a true index of what it is.

Honourable George J. Ferguson: We know we paid over four million dollars last year.

M. Alban Farmer: I know, but so far you haven’t paid debt charges on that yet.

Honourable George J. Ferguson: We know we will not pay $4,500,000.00 this year.

M. Alban Farmer: Well I know, yes, but you haven't paid any yet. Well that isn’t a correct test of what the net debt is at all. The net debt is added up, all your charges, or all the liabilities against, and subtract from that your credits and that’s the way to get your net debt.

Now the main portion of the net debt of the debt of the province is added up for the fiscal year which ended March 31, 1967, should be attributed to the present Government because they came into power on July 28, after four months of the y.ear The program for all the different departments was set out and was underway. Instead of that they increased all those appropriations by Order-in-Council and thayt’s where the debt came from, and they are the ones that are responsible for that debt.

They set out the per capita debt of the three provinces which we call the Mari- time Provinces, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. Now why do they tell that to us? Why didn’t they tell that to the authorities in Ottawa when they were there? This is our problem, this is one of the reasons why they should have gotten more assistance from Ottawa. It is all very well to put it in here and show us what it is, this is no secret, this is nothing new, but they should have told that in the right place when they were looking for the proper recompense for money that we need on the basis of fiscal needs. I submit that this has not been done, and that is one of the reasons why this Government has not carried out its undertaking to secure better arrangements, better fiscal arrangements, with Ottawa.

d ,Honourable Alexander B. Campbell: Are you saying we didn’t argue the fiscal nee s .

M. Alban Farmer: You may have done so but you did it so ineffectively that you didn’t get any results. That’s what I am telling you about.

Honourable Alexander B. Campbell: More results than any government since Confederation, Sir.

M. Alban Farmer: Now I am going to refer, Mr. Speaker, to some of the de- partments, I am not going to refer to them all because the other members who will debate on this particular topic will deal with those matters. I am going to look at agriculture first. On page gethirty-one of the Bud get, theDe artment of Agriculture will receive $600, 000. 00 over and above the amount estimated ast year. $300, 000. 00 has been allocated to the new Economic Improvement Co ration. This is a complete “bluff” right here. The expenditure for 1966-67, wasrsgfl455000H00 Now this year it is estimated to be $2,000,..09500 It is down $359, 000.00 from last year. Now this is the increase they are talking about. I am referring to what you spent; yes I know it is very convenient for you to refer to the estimates, but that is not a realistic way to refer to it. I am referring you to what you spent last year up to the 31st, March, 1967, and you spent $2,455,000.00. This year you are asking for two million and ninety-five thousand dollars and in addition to that you say $300,000.00 of that goes to this Economic Council therefore you are down $859,000.00, in Agriculture. That’s

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