Tuesday, May 16, 1967

L. George Dewar: Well, I just forget who is on the one at the present time, but I am sure it is not any better than the previous one or the one before that.

Honourable M. Lorne Bonnell: It was a good Board that you were on.

L. George Dewar: Well, I am not saying too much about that Board. I think it could have been improved upon, but the point was there was nobody on it that knew anything about Welfare. There was no qualified Welfare Worker on it, and there is not qualified Welfare Worker on the present Board, and if you don’t put any or}:I thednéaxt Board that you appoint, it is not going to work any better than the ot ers i .

Honourable M. Lorne Bonnell: Where can we get some qualified workers?

L. George Dewar: And if they don’t, I am frightened that the people on wel- fare in this Province are going to suffer and as evidence of the facts . . . .

Honourable Alexander B. Campbell: After having the facts.

L. George Dewar: As they did in the past, and I pointed out in my draft ad- dress how some of them were suffering, terribly. They were not getting enough to maintain even a respectable type of livelihood. As evidence of the fact that they are going to suffer, because the cost should go up if the needs are met, the cost should go up, you can't do anything else but go up.

Honourable M. Lorne Bonnell: We gave the woman in love, well but not wise, a little more money.

L. George Dewar: Yes, I finally moved the hard hearted men, I moved them to give her recognition, and I thank you for it, and I am glad that you did.

Honourable M. Lorne Bonnell: As soon as you mentioned it, we looked after t the next day.

Honourable Robert E. Campbell: It was looked after two weeks before you asked for it.

L. George Dewar: Two weeks, Oh no: no I have been asking for that even before the present Minister was Minister of Welfare. I can’t blame him altogether.

Honourable M. Lorne Bonnell: We had thirteen letters from you.

L. George Dewar: But some justice was done and for that we are thankful, and I hope that he will do justice by other to, but I can’t see how the present Minis- ter of Welfare is going to deal justly and honestly with the people in need in this Province as he states he is going to do and as the Canada Welfare Assistance Act states that he is mpggsed to do when his Budget is down $800,000.00. It just can’t be done. I hope the inister can explain how he is going to improve the lot of the welfare people in this Province and at the same time allow his Budget to be slashed

by $800,000.00. Surely, that isn’t right; surely the Provincial Treasurer does not agree with that either. That is one item that is short-changed.

Now, we go down to highways, and we find that $600,000.00 less is going to be spent than last year’s forecast. Well, I am afraid there will be some over-expen- diture on that item. I can’t see how he is going to get away with spending $600,000.00 less than he spent last year.

Some Member: We won’t have to spend as much around Sourls.

L. George Dewar: No, but he might have to spend more some place else. They will be more clamouring.

Honourable Alexander B. Campbell: Would ou tell us who is doing your arith- meti: incigeentally. We will have an opportunity to answer but, I think the arithmetic is a equa .

Honourable M. Lorne Bonnell: How much was the total Welfare to what it was last year.

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