_ fl , Tuesday, March‘12, 1968

the heading of Comprehensive Plan. I do think and I will say this that we do need people in every avenue of life that have some knowledge about our problems that may be able to assist us, but I do also submit, Mr. Speaker, that without the co— operat1on_ and the understading, and the abilities of our own people, this will be as flat a fallure as any other of its nature that has taken place before. (Applause)

Now the incentive in this particular plan is that there is $100,000,000 in it. Now we don’t know that, and I don’t believe we should be involved in it possibly to the extent that we are unless we do know, and I don’t believe those monies should be used unless it is with full co-operation and consent of the people that represent the farmers and business men of this Province. (Applause) And I think it is only an idle dream to suggest that this is going to become a reality without greater know- ledge of the people who are supposed to participate in this particular project.

Now I am very much interested in one or two more things in the famous docu- ment. Mr. Sneaker, and as I stand here perhaps I have one of the people in this legislature that has worked as a younger man with people from the Province of Quebec to a greater extent than most have, and I find them just ordinary everyday people like ourselves, with the same problems, and the same perplexing thoughts in their minds that we have, and in this section that deals with the education of people in the language. I don’t think it goes quite far enough, Mr. Minister of Education. I think every encouragement should be given to young people and every means be made available to them to learn more about the cultures and the languages of a country that is becoming smaller in its horizon all the time.

Last summer I had the happy privilege of having been able to take in that famous exposition up there in Quebec, Expo, and I heartily enjoyed it. I found it of particular interest that one of our party travelling there when we seemed to get need of some directions possibly even on the street that a taxi driver would come along and say what is your problem, or something such as that, and they would direct us where we wanted to go and you could almost see the smiles of appreciation because of the fact one of our number was able to converse with them in their own tongue. And I think it is a great need in our country today that not only in the French language but in many of the other languages that are becoming not so pre- valent in our country such as Gaelic or the like of that. I think especially that we

should be encouraging our young people to converse in more than their own native tongue.

Now I think again in connection with this development plan that we hear so much about, and so little done with, it puts me in mind of a story and perhaps when you have listened to this story I won’t berate your ears very much longer, but this development plan of ours, it is ours now, puts me in mind of two little boys about fifty years ago, and the big carpenter, that was Ottawa, and they had a big brother, that’s the legislature, and this brother was in the woods one day and he saw a par- ticularly good, well-turned tree that he thought would make a hand-sleigh. In good faith he cut it down and took it to the mill, and he told those young boys he would have that hand-sleigh ready for them. This is a true story. Very shortly, he was depending on the carpenter, Ottawa, to do it. We will use it in that context. And those little boys, so gullible as little boys can be, you know, knowing the intention of their brother who was of the finest nature, they took it to the chopping block and they destroyed the little sleigh that they did have. They lost their $65,000 of lime subsidy and the two cents cheese milk and do you know what happened? Five years later they got their sleigh and in the meantime they slid on their backsides, which this Province very well may do. (Applause) Unless we have a greater assur- ance that Ottawa will come across with the $100,000,000 to this Province.

Now, I know I disturbed you somewhat, but I think, and I hope, that .I have challenged you to a greater extent. There is much I could say about many things in this Province, about the problems facing us today and of the needs of this Ifrovmce. We have got to co-operate to do something that we may .surVIve because it never was at a point of not being able to survive before. But I w1ll say this, and I hope it can be said by many others, and it has been said before by a man by the name of Jester.

Tho’ giant rain put out the sun Here stand I for a Slgn.

—233—