Supply  Does Ottawa believe that Quebec is unable to take care of its own affairs and its population? If so, it should be said loud and clear: it will get a response from the population. In closing, I would like to say to the members of this government: "Hands off, you ultra-centralists. Let the provincial governments, which know their populations and their needs better than you, handle their own affairs.

Supply  What we see in this motion is an attempt to detach the cart from the horse. If the hon. member would re-read the budget reference to national standards it is quite clear that there is no attempt or plan to impose standards. Those standards which exist now in the area of health care are fixed. There is no negotiation and no debate of those standards. However, when the suggestion is made in the budget documents that the provinces, through the Canada health and social transfer, will have more flexibility, how can that be interpreted in any way except that there will be more flexibility, in concert with the provinces' national standards in the area of social transfer and possibly in post-secondary education.

Aboriginal Fishing Strategy  There has to be monitoring of any system we put in place. As the minister of fisheries made quite clear, we have to have monitoring internationally. We have to know figures, so I agree with that. As far as the volatility is concerned, I will tell the hon. member why there is volatility.

Budget Implementation Act, 1994  His answer was: the politicians, of course, because we lack control mechanisms. In closing, I would like to leave a clear message with the people of Charlevoix and of Quebec. Tomorrow's generation will have to foot the bill. I hope that Quebecers will choose the only solution that will enable us to help them.

Liberal Party  The Liberal government can borrow billions of dollars to fund its own pet projects at the expense of hard working, taxpaying farmers. It is clear that this government is no friend of Saskatchewan and her future generations.

Reform Party  However when the Liberal budget delivers and improves on these promises the Reform leader calls them dishonest and cowardly. Canadians have made it clear that they do not want politics as usual. They reject doom and gloom and Reform Party sophistry. Canadians want leadership and compassion. That is why in poll after poll they continue to support their Liberal government.

Supply  Let me take a few moments and relate my thoughts on what the NDP is attempting to do in Ontario by focusing on the federal budget. It is clear that the NDP in Ontario does not have a record it can reliably depend on to get it through the Ontario election which is now under way. In fact, some of my colleagues may have received in the mail a package from the Ontario government called "The 1995 Ontario Budget Plan".

Supply  They have completed the booklet that was developed by the minister of human resources. They have given me one clear message: they want social services that protect those most vulnerable and will ensure that Canada and every province in Canada remain prosperous for many years to come. The Leader of the Opposition is wrong when he attempts to suggest that the Canada health and social transfer restricts the provinces to the role of consultants.

Supply  Those agreements inevitably open the way to numerous awkward intrusions by the federal government in regional development. Bill C-76 proves that. These are obvious, clear and open intrusions. The Quebec regions suffer from the numerous interferences in regional development and from the lack of consistency of government policies. While dropping its financial involvement in the provinces, the central government is leaving its administrative structures there.

Supply  Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition has just accused me of being undemocratic, of accusing him of wasting the time of the House of Commons. Let us be perfectly clear: of course, the Bloc Quebecois has not only the right but also the obligation to enter the debate on the government budget. They certainly have the right to present their views but when, instead of discussing the budget, they create a phoney issue and make up their own budget that has nothing to do with the one we presented, I certainly agree that they are wasting the time not only of this House but also of the Canadian people.

Supply  Nobody. Therefore, why the review if they are not going to increase pensions? The answer is quite clear. They are reviewing them in order to axe them. Obviously, old age pensions will not be spared by the Liberals, who realize that after cutting funding for the sick, recipients of welfare and students, another potential target for cuts remains: pensioners.

Co-Operative Housing  I spoke to the minister about 4.30 this afternoon and our position there and his position there is still firm, clear and forceful to the United States. Let us not be fooled. We are in the midst of some very serious and tough negotiations on bilateral issues with the United States. We have a large two-way trade with the United States in agriculture and agri-food.

Lobbyists Registration Act  We have been examining over the past couple of weeks the fact the Prime Minister would actually arrange to favour a firm owned by his nephew. That is a clear and flagrant case of nepotism. No one can doubt it. No one should doubt it. It is not only apparent, it is difficult to argue otherwise being that the whole system is filled with people closely connected to Power Corp. or closely connected to the Prime Minister who have actually acted in a very exceptional way overturning a decision by the CRTC.

Lobbyists Registration Act  The bill also touches on the ethics counsellor. The biggest scam perpetrated on the House is in the red book. It is quite clear. It is on page 95: "The ethics counsellor will report directly to Parliament". The ethics counsellor was hired. We know the gentleman's name. We are not questioning his ability. We are questioning to whom the ethics counsellor reports.

Code Of Conduct  They are not answerable to cabinet or to the Prime Minister; they are answerable to the House. That is important. In each case it is clear an arm's length relationship with the government is required for those officers to objectively and adequately discharge their responsibilities. The same is true for the ethics counsellor and for any type of code of conduct for parliamentarians.