Tuesday, February 27, 1968

cal hatred has been too predominant in this country, lems. That is something we had to get away from, that is why even when I criticise and these criticisms are for the good of the Premier and his followers that is why I like to go out and drive with them after I make them to indicate to these men that my actions at least are the actions of a friend, and an advisor because we can take our children sometimes and lay them across our knees and spank their little bottoms and make them cry. Not because we hate them, but because we love them and while I am too old and the children are too big to take across my knee and spank their big bottoms, I can do it in a verbal sense. (Applause)

too predominant to solve prob-

Prince Edward Island has been neglected and we face dire econom' ' because of that neglect. Last year in this House we had one of the misgaldiifotr): tunate exhibitions of evasion and suppression of information that could have been given to the representatives of the people. We could not secure one item of infor- mation regarding the intentions of the government on the developments in this Prov- ince, and I would like to say at this time that I propose to read a statement that

1 have written that deals with one of the developments that has taken place as a result of that action on the part of the government.

I would like to make a brief reference to the Georgetown Industries Investi- gation, which has been adjourned but which will be convened again to complete the final stages of this inquiry. It would appear that the bulk of evidence has now been presented and the final submission should not be of long duration. The position of the Conservative Opposition regarding the Georgetown Investigation has always been that the Legislature of the Province was the proper forum for frank and full dis- cussion, and examination of this project and we endeavoured to make it so. We requested, on a number of occasions, that every detail connected with the Georgetown development be produced, either in open Legislative Sessions or for examination by special committees of the Legislature. The Premier steadfastly refused and would not give the Legislature information that was the legitimate property of the elected representatives of the people. At the same time the Premier claimed that this infor- mation denied the House would be held in secret for presentation to a Royal Com- mission he intended to appoint. The government voted down our Resolution for open legislative examination and announced a retention of all details for full exposure before a Commission. Our views in this respect have not changed. We still feel that the supremacy of Parliament has been challenged and that this Legislature was the proper place for a full investigation. The present administration accordingly set up its own commission to hold hearings on the terms of reference which it prescribed. The government created a legal task force which has made an exhaustive study and build-up of every detail calculated to present the Liberal Government’s case in the best possible light. This was done regardless of any personal injury which might result by implication or innuendo. None can say that a full disclosure of all evidence was not brought before the Commission. covering the period of the administration of the previous government up to July 28. 1966, when the. present government took over. Very little evidence, if any, has been presented for the period since July 28, 1966, when the present government took over. Pardon me, in the period July 28, 1966 to the present date.

I would have expected that the Premier, who spent several hours in giving evidence, much of which he refused to divulge to the Legislature, gave not the slight- est information regarding the period during which the present government has been in power. I would sincerely feel that the Premier, who promoted the Commission as a tribunal before which all facts would be produced without fear or favour, should have also given the Commission the record on Georgetown since July 28, 1966.

Honourable Alexander B. Campbell: You should have been there.

Walter R. Shaw: I am coming to that. His statement before the Commission, how- ever, showed an indication of political bias regarding the Conservative administration, and as a matter of fact his leaning in this direction had to be corrected. The evidence brought before the Commission to date covers two weeks of hearing; well over two hundred exhibits, comprising thousands of pages of documents, letters and other materials were laid before it for scrutiny. The members of the previous administra- tion, after sincere consideration, chose not to appear before the Commission. They felt, and still feel, that the Georgetown project was initiated in the best interests

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