Mr. Speaker, I am privileged to debate this issue. The previous speaker was pretty good. I would say he generated fair emotion and experience in his speech.
However, I do reflect on his words in a specific way. I would like those who are listening to the debate to decide whether the minister is satisfied with the Churchill Falls power agreement. Is he satisfied with the status quo?
I was the first Reformer to go to Labrador. I visited quite some time ago. It was my choice to visit. Having made that choice, some of my colleagues asked: "Why are you going there? This is a cold and bitter spot. Why would you go to Labrador?" The answer is very straightforward. I am quite interested in the activities of the north and I found myself on the ground.
I was inexperienced in Labrador. I have spent some time in the north in my own part of the country but I had never been lucky enough to go to Labrador. It was fascinating how I was treated. I was treated with some scepticism, I must admit. I was treated with some degree of misunderstanding, which I also accept. However, I found a few issues in Labrador that are profoundly important to the people there.
One of those issues was brought to the table by my colleague, the power agreement at Churchill Falls. I met one of the men who first worked in Churchill Falls. He told me that whatever Reformers do, we should not buy the line that the Churchill Falls agreement is over and done with forever. He told me to look at the agreement and I would find that the excess power that is generated could be used by Newfoundland. It need not go through the convoluted agreement to coffers elsewhere. He told me to look carefully and I would find that the only thing necessary for Newfoundlanders to benefit from their own power is for superconductor transmission lines to go from Churchill Falls, the source of the power, through
Newfoundland. In fact Churchill Falls could provide all of the power needs for Newfoundland at a significant savings to that province. Why can we not do that? We cannot do that because the money is not available to build that transmission line.
I took the time to look into that agreement and what he told me was true, that Newfoundland could generate its own power and the excess power and benefit from it. To those status quo Liberals who say that the Supreme Court has ruled this agreement is over and done with, I say hear, hear. The agreement is a secure binding agreement, but Newfoundland could take the excess power.
The fellow who showed me around Labrador also said that the former member had been a very dignified member. I take nothing from the member who has gone on to the Senate, his reward in the sky. He told me that when the issue of gun registration came on the table, many Labradorians did not understand it. They asked for the former member's advice. They could not reach the member; he would not come home; he did not respond. His executive assistant in Labrador was usually easy to reach but he seemed to disappear and became very difficult to reach. He would not answer their phone calls and he would not respond when they asked for public meetings.
This individual took me to meet people to whom firearm registration was an unknown concept. He asked me what we would do with firearm registration. I told him that I had a commitment from my leader and my caucus colleagues that firearm registration was not the way to go. I told him we would love to have the bill split into two. We would quickly pass the portion of the bill that makes stricter penalties for the criminal misuse of firearms. We would take the part of the bill that talked about interfering where we do not think interference would be successful and we would toss it into the dustbin of history. He asked if I would give him that in writing. I said not only would I give it to him in writing but I would get it in writing from my leader. He responded by saying we should talk to some people with strong feelings on the issue.
On a rainy Sunday afternoon he drove me out to a gravel pit. I wondered where I was going; I thought perhaps he was going to finish me off. At the gravel pit there was a group of young men who were keen internationally renowned competitive shooters. He said to them: "Fellows, come over here and talk to this guy. He is from Alberta, a Reform member of Parliament. He is the first one to step on Labrador soil as a member of Parliament. He says the Reform Party will throw the gun registration component of Bill C-68 into the dustbin of history. Do you believe him?" They replied: "No, we don't believe him for a second. He is a politician and they are all as crooked as question marks". The fellow said: "Boys, I have talked to a lot of politicians and I have looked them in the eye and I think this fellow is telling us the truth". He said that he was going to join the party and that he would work hard for it.
This was well before the byelection was called, well before there was any idea that we would be fighting on this ground. I came back and told my colleagues that there was fertile ground in Labrador.
There is another issue that annoyed the people of Labrador. There is a line on most maps that indicates the boundary between Labrador and Quebec. One of the fellows told me there are some people in Quebec who do not accept that boundary. In fact, on some maps the boundary is absent. When tourists come from Quebec to Labrador, they are actually told that Labrador is part of Quebec.