Legislative Assembly

mits its inability to cope with the problems that have developed, and admits its failure to honour its committments, and that is admitted in that verv long address given by the Premier over CFCY not long ago. “The most rigid policy‘ must be applied,” he stated. Looking back I cannot refrain from making comparisons, and these comparisons must take in the misdirection and the lack of sound constructive action on the part of this administration. This, Mr. Speaker, is not my opinion alone as a member of the Opposition, it is the common comment throughout the Province of Prince Edward Island, and my honourable friends in the government know it.

I would ask you, Sir, to compare the record of the previous years when we had a very constructive and satisfactory program in this province. A period in which we held the confidence of the people, in which we had a strongly balanced economy when our farmers, our labourers, our fishermen and business were in a strong position and the records were there to prove it. And at no time was it necessarv’that the Premier of the Province at that time should ever go on the radio or TV and admit that we had failed the people in our obligations. We had an increase in our bank receipts, in our population, and, for the first time in history of the province, we had a program of industrial expansion. We established between three and four thousand new jobs in this province during that period. There were greater oppor- tunities, money was in free circulation, there was an improvement in our educational standards and in our social and economic life. This picture I am afraid is now rather completely reversed. What are our prices today? My honourable friends dealt with the farm situation and were frank enough to admit that it is in a deplorable situation. Why is that? We never had any of these difficulties coming to the government when we were in power regarding farm prices or a lack of money among the farm people. Farm prices are now low, meat prices are low, dairy products are low. There has been no effort to support good prices in this country. Fertilizer subsidies have been drastically reduced, a very important matter. Many inspections and supports given our farmers have been removed. Why I don’t know. There is a very dangerous and serious increase in freight rates and at the same time the price of materials have drastically increased. The cost of living has gone up and that is one of the most serious matters with which the people of this country can contend. And then the excuse of the government, at the present time, for their lack of initiative and de- velopment is that they have no money. Now that tune has indeed changed very completely.

It is no wonder that the people of Prince Edward Island are very seriously alarmed and are leaving this country because of the unfortunate conditions that have been allowed to develop of course the present government blames the previous gov- ernment, the government that operated here when times were good, when there was none of this criticism and unrest in the country. If elected, they said they would be able to supply everything that was required in this province at that time. There was plenty of money at Ottawa; all they had to do was just ask for it and it would roll down here by the millions. They were going to have two governments in line, and what two governments were going to do for this Province wasn’t “peanuts.” No, Sir, we were. out of line with Ottawa, and we were insulting and rude to those people at Ottawa. No wonder we couldn’t get any money. Put us in power, they said, and we will get the money for you! Then you will see prosperity in this Province. All that was required was better care in spending and so the promises of great things ahead. The fact seems to be very evident that the responsibility of government has been too much for the men who have been placed in charge of government in this country. They really didn’t expect that there were so many difficult problems to solve. and they didn’t seem to care anyway. All they have done was carry on with special photographers and assistants, and co-ordinators, and many others, that amazing pub- licity that we have noticed for sometime as a sort of a shroud to cover up their weaknesses. They travel all over this country like the Ismaelites of old. all over Canada and the United States, and they do not go alone. If you want to know who Ishmael was I could tell you that too. I met his descendants not long ago. But they felt that possibly being unable to cope with the serious problems down at the level of the farmer and the fisherman and the labourer that they better get out and travel away from where the problem really existed.

Now, their actions to a very great extent, in making these accusations against the former administration have been political in character. There has been no effort to solve the problems and direct administration practlces toward prosperity. Politi-

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