Legislative_ Assembly

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Hon. Alexander B. Campbell: Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition asks why we didn’t put it in our estimates. Why? Because, Mr. Speaker, we were sitting on the Opposition side of the House when those estimates were presented to the House.

Walter R. Shaw: Last year?

Hon. Alex B. Campbell: And the Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Speaker, sat right here at this desk. He presented his budget for the year ending March 3131: of 1967 to this House and not a whisper about supplementary payments or old age assistance to the people of this Province. This House prorogued, Mr. Speaker, and all of a sudden he thought it might be a good time for an election in this Pro- vince. All of a sudden he thought that this . . . .

Walter R. Shaw: Ho, ho! Now he’s away!

Hon. Alexander B. Campbell: All of a sudden he called an election to de- fend his actions in the industrial development of the Province and, thought he had better start sending cheques out to the people of this Province if we want to get elected. Without asking this House for any money, without asking this House for appropriations for pensions, but to win a general election, Mr. Speaker.

Walter R. Shaw: Is this the Newstart?

Hon. Alexander B. Campbell: I’m just getting started again. I don’t know how I’ll finish today, but some time between March 30th, 1966, when there was a general election, and July 11th of 1966 great attention was paid to a certain sec- tion of the Province called First Kings and it was at that particular time, Mr. Speaker, that the former Government of this Province began to get a little con- cerned about the result that it decided to start mailing out cheques . . . .

Walter R. Shaw: Was Louis Robichaud over at that time?

Hon. Alexander B. Campbell: And cheques were mailed, we had cheques all over the Province.

Walter R. Shaw: Was Robichaud over?

Hon. Alexander B. Campbell: And not one single suggestion, not one re- quest to this Legislature in this Province did they make for that money. Not one ounce of agreement or not one ounce of approval from this House. And what does he do now, Mr. Speaker, as he sits there in the Opposition? He complains to the press that the parliamentary procedure, the rights of parliament have now been over-ridden by the present Government and here he was, as Leader of the Gov- ernment in this Province, taking the liberty to sign a cheque for two million dollars to the people of the Province without giving any regard or any consideration to the feelings of the Legislature of this Province. I hope that, with some relish. we’ve explained this unfortunate over-expenditure of two million dollars because I think . .

Henry W. Wedge: Are you against the supplementary payments? Hon. Alexander B. Campbell: Oh, no, Sir, I think they’re great.

Walter R. Shaw: What are you talking about then?

Hon. Alexander B. Campbell: You didn’t ask us in this Legislature and that is why, Mr. Speaker, in this morning’s Guardian in this Province, appeared the story that the expenditures for the fiscal period ending March Blst, 1967, were two million dollars over the estimate. That brings up one point, and I think, then, I’ll end my remarks that these financial statements that have been deposited in this House as a financial statement covering the year ending March Blst, 1967, are the statements which enclosed the last areas of the former Government and so all the . . . .

Walter R. Shaw: Mr. Speaker, I wonder if you could ask the Hon. Mr. Blanch- ard to translate that last comment he made.

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