Thursday, March 7, 1968

M. Alban Farmer: Sixth Queens.

Mr. Speaker, I join with all the other Honorable Members who have spoken on the draft address concerning the excellent job that you are doing with respect to presiding in this Chamber. I would also commend you for the directions which you gave on the first day of our active session in outlining guide lines for the assistance of Honourable Members in their performance of their duties in the Chamber. I realize that some want to kick over the traces and step outside the mark and I suppose you feel that when the Premier does that, well, you’ll have to make a little bit of indulgence and probably that is the case. However, I think, when the Premier steps out it’s only an indication that others want to step out. The same thing when your own colleague makes so much noise. I feel you may be a little embarrassed some times and I know well that you can, better than anybody else might direct you to, you might give him some friendly advice and remind him that he’s a Member of ,Her Majesty’s Government and he should have a certain amount of decorum in the Chamber. Now, as regards the Speech from the Throne, this has been very effectively dealt with, I believe, by the speakers who have spoken on this side of the House. 'The general condition of this Province has very markedly deteriorated since the present Government took office. We are in a very serious situation today with respect to the agricultural industry and the only remedy that has been proposed by the Government to date is for those who are having trouble to go into bankruptcy. Now that’s the proposal that the Premier of this Province proposed here yesterday. For those farmers, we’ll get you a remedy. What is it? Go in to bankruptcy. Now, if that is the best that they can do I’m afraid the farmers will not thank them very much for that donation. I notice by the press this morning, or by the radio rather, that the Minister of Agriculture, Hon. Mr. Akerly in the neighboring Province of Nova Scotia has made an announcement that they have set aside a million dollars for the purpose of alleviating the prob- lems that have been brought upon the agricultural industry in that Province and the details of how this million dollars is to be applied was generally set out in that particular announcement, this million dollars. Now, I would have thought that the Government of this Province could probably have done something like that. That they would come up with something to handle the situation. They would have to organize the provisions of this particular system but there’s no reason why that couldn’t be done. Last year the diversion program for potatoes was handled and, while it was tardy and delayed and late, nevertheless it was some help to the farmers. ‘Then, why hasn’t something like that been proposed by the Government this year? Why hasn’t some real effort and something that will be of some bene- fit, some real benefit, to the farmer proposed instead of saying to them. We will proclaim or ask that a proclamation be made whereby this statute will be made to apply to the Province and then farmers can go into bankruptcy. Now, that, to my mind, a very . . . .

Hon. Daniel J. MacDonald: Mr. Speaker, I don’t know what he’s talking about. This is not true. This is not the proper interpretation at all.

M. Alban Farmer: It is the proper interpretation. Hon. Daniel J. MacDonald: It’s not.

M. Alban Farmer: It’s a bankruptcy procedure, that is what your Leader said yesterday.

Hon. Daniel J. MacDonald: This is not the idea at all.

M. Alban Farmer: Well, have you got another program that your going to put up in competition to the Premier’s. Are you going to put out one of your own and take . . . .

Hon. Daniel J‘. MacDonald: Look at it and see.

M. Alban Farmer: Well, you go ahead and explain it but this was the story that your Premier said yesterday was a bankruptcy.

Hon. Daniel J. MacDonald: It’s a story you are building up.

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