Wednesday, hMarch 6, 196g

Lloyd G. MacPhail: He certainly didn‘t see me. (Laughter) The report doesn’t indi- cate he saw anyone else but the Premier and the Cabinet.

Now as far as this land-clearing and draining program is concerned, I have some reservations. I note that in Massachussetts legislation was passed in 1965 to restrict this type of action, of which an article in Reader’s Digest of last October says, “Might cause certain wetland and wooded areas to become biological disaster areas.” And the article goes on to say, “This program is undoubtedly fine for en—

gineers and contractors but not necessarily good for the taxpayers or the water table and wildlife.”

. On January 17, 1968 Mr. A. W. Blyth, he is the Director for the Ontario region in the Forestry Department’s Rural Development Branch and this is what

he sys, “about 10,000,000 acres of agricultural land in Canada should be converted to forests.”

Whether these people are right or whether the Government’s proposed action is right we need at this moment not say. But aside, entirely, from these considera- tions my most serious reservation is my belief that this government should have established priority. There are much more pressing and much more immediate needs in this Province today. Let the government first establish programs to more fully

utilize the good land now idle or partly used. But even before that, let them seek and let them find markets the returns from which would more adequately compen- sate our over-worked and underpaid farmers and fishermen. (Applause).

I never thought that governments had much to do with hard times, but so many things have gone sour here during the past one and one-half or two years since the Liberal Government took office. The tourist business has been lagging, potato prices are down, the pork prices are down, inflation — increased prices for everything we buy. All this, in fact, is nearly enough to make one agree with the thought of the majority of the people of the Province that Liberal times are hard times. (Applause)

Hon. Robert E. Campbell: That’s terrible, isn’t it?

Lloyd G. MacPhail: You know our Premier is a fine fellow — when he is here and he is gone again — I wish I had $5.00 for every time he had his picture in the paper during the past year.

Hon. Robert E. Campbell: Were you jealous?

Lloyd G. MacPhail: Not at all.

Hon. J. Elmer Blanchard: Nothing wrong with that, he’s photogenic.

Lloyd G. MacPhail: Why sure. With the Russians, with Miss Canada, with the tuna fishermen, with the Summerside Legion Band, at openings, at closings, at birthday parties, at wedding anniversaries, at cocktail parties, at Liberal party meetings, with New Years’ greetings and in fact every imaginable occasion.

Hon. Robert E. Campbell: Did you ever see my picture there?

Lloyd G. Macl’hail: No, never have. My, my, my the announcements and predictions of great things to come — great things that the government is about to do —— like selling plants, like preventing increases in ferry rates, like preventing increases in freight rates, like getting further assistance for Prince Edward Island, like pre- venting delay in Causeway construction, like maintaining activity on a normal scale at the Summerside airport. There are all sorts of protests, supplications, presenta- tions, affirmations and duplications —— the results of which are usually hallucinations. (Applause) You know I was about to conclude that we should make the Premier our official meeter and greeter for the Province and appoint someone else to be Premier. But you know, I did come across one of his promises or predictions that did in fact materialize, and of course it got the usual publicity. We read in the Guardian on September 23, 1967 — just a small item announces, “that Premier Campbell will plant tulips in front of Province House.” And lo and behold a week later on September 30, 1967, here is the big picture here.

Hon. Robert E. Campbell: Isn’t that wonderful!

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