Legislative Assembly

M. Alban Farmer: lt's not a story that I’m building; up. It’s there as a bank- 1'uptcy. It’s an amendment and a part of the Bankruptcy Act and that’s what it is and that’s the only thing that this Governmcnt has offered to the farmers so far and it sets forth, it’s in the press this moring.

IIon. Daniel J. MacDonald: I know . . . .

M. Alban Farmer: It’s a bankruptcy. Now, Mr. Speaker, that is the situa- tion that we have. No active, no real, imaginative plans that will assist the farmer. In my opinion, the proposal that has been made will re-act to the deteriment of the, farming community generally because it is going to destroy the credit of the farm— ers in this Province. Now, on the first sections of the Speech from the Throne. Mr. Speaker, is the representation that the Government made to the Constitutional Conference. Now, I realize that those conferences have been quite a success and our Premier has been attending those conferences. But I’m afraid that he got “sweet talked” into some positions which are not too tenable now. First of all, he listened to the charmer from Quebec and got himself on record with his friend, Joey, two friends, Joey and Louis, and I suppose, Allie. to have the rhyme, Joey and Louis and Allie, said that they would be in favor of having the human rights established in the Constitution first before the actual constitutional problems have been de- veloped. Now, I submit that that was not accepted by the other Provinces and I think it was inopportune for our Premier to take that position because as time goes on the rights, fundamental rights, fundamental human rights, in every com— munity and every society have a tendency to change and when they’re left to the Legislatures that have jurisdiction to deal with those rights, they can be changed to suit the occasion and the times and the circumstances that then pertain. I sub- mit that when you entrench them in a Bill of Rights, or whatever you call it, in the Constitution, then you’re taking away from the people, from the people of the time, whenever the time may come, certain rights which they should have and which they should be able to deal with through their elected representatives in their Legisla- ture, whether it be the House of Commons in Ottawa or the Legislatures of the

provinces.

I am surprised at the peevishness of the Premier of the Province when some of the speakers on this side dealt with the economic corporation, Economic Improve- ment Corporation. Now, nobody here has said that this is a bad thing but We have said and what has been said and what I will say, is that we don’t know what it is and we have been told that we’re not going to know. This is the problem. Now, when we find people hiding things and refusing to divulge information then we get suspicious. If there’s nothing to hide, why not bring it out and let’s have a look at it, let us all have a look at it. I submit that that’s the only way we can get what is probably the best effort. We know everybody will make mistakes but we’ll do our best to assist and contribute to the debate in this House on the. aspects of this particular arrangement that’s going to be made with Ottawa. The fact that we’re not going to have that opportunity indicates that there’s something to be hidden from the people. Now, it’s not for the members of this Legislature alone but it’s for the people of this Province. They’re the ones that should be dealt with and I would warn the Government that, while they have economic features to deal with, the most important thing to deal with in this particular arrangement, are the people. Those are the ones that we have to (lecide, work for in the best interests of the people. Not for any economic planner or not for any economic principle, but how are the people going to be affected and I would submit that if we’re going to let a corporation go about this Province pushing our people around, telling them what they have to do, regardless of what the people want to do, then we’re on the wrong track and I submit that that shouldn’t be tolerated. There are lots of op- portunities and there are lots of openings for any economic corporation or for the Government to assist the people of this Province. But I submit that the best as- sistance to those people will not be by moving them around but by developing: their potential and developing their talents and developing the assistance for those where they are now, without pushing them around and taking them from one place to another. But, at the same time, we are still suspicious of something that the Gov- ernment is afraid to bring on the floor of this House and have it discussed.

The next section that I wish to refer to, Mr. Speaker, is the continued extensive

—170———