Atlantic Canada  They were attended by about 80 presenters from all walks of life, such as from the mental health field, family law, crown attorneys, police chiefs, counsellors, educators, and victims of violence. One thing that came through very loud and clear from the forums is that there is definitely a lack of awareness in our society on family violence. There was consensus that as a government we have to do something to make Canadians aware of the gravity and the prevalence of violence in our society.

Atlantic Canada  Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to speak to the motion. It was not clear to me in the original motion whether or not the suggestion was being made to put more money into Atlantic Canada. If that is the case we would oppose it. There is much talk about what Atlantic Canada needs.

Young Offenders Act  A long term crime prevention program, with the aim of deterring young offenders from continuing to act in a reprehensible way, is what is really needed. On this issue, Quebec is sending a clear message to Ottawa: "Let us continue to resolve our problems in the way we see fit without imposing rules to follow or amendments that may satisfy other provinces, but do not fit Quebec's experience at all".

Young Offenders Act  In response to public concern the minister has amended the declaration of the principle of the act to make it clear that the primary objective of the youth system, however, must be the protection of society. This can only be achieved if we have a real commitment as well to rehabilitation and to crime prevention.

Social Security System  To shift the focus from making programs sustainable and available to the truly needy, to using them primarily as a means to attempt to create jobs, has far reaching implications that require a clear public mandate, not just an assumed one. For these reasons, the new philosophy being now introduced by the government ought in my view to be examined by the committee, especially whether it carries the judgment of Canadians.

Young Offenders Act  The first measures contained in the bill are, in my opinion, the most important and fundamental amendments to the Young Offenders Act. The amendments proposed to paragraph 3(1) of the present act send a clear message to the judiciary who are responsible for enforcing the act. The protection of society is a primary objective of the Young Offenders Act. This preamble is most important. Much of the time, the varying goals of the criminal law are in conflict.

Young Offenders Act  He made the comment that people who are in favour of stronger punishment for criminals and capital punishment are not clear thinking or are not thinking properly. Does he realize that the majority of Canadians, including the majority of people in his own province, agree that we should have stronger sentences for criminals, that we should be tougher on criminals and tougher on crime, and that we should reinstate the death penalty in Canada?

Petitions  Speaker, I wish to table a petition with over 1,000 signatures calling on the government to introduce legislation that will ensure that individuals cannot use the intoxication defence to avoid prosecution for the commission of a crime. My constituents are sending the message loud and clear. It is time for a change in the law. I wholly agree with my constituents.

Points Of Order  I think the matter is quite clear to all members of the House. I thank the hon. government whip for responding and I thank the hon. member for The Battlefords-Meadow Lake for bringing the issue back to the House following his original intervention some days ago.

Federal Public Service  Mr. Speaker, it is clear that members of the third party speak from both sides of their mouths. On the one hand they ask us to reduce the expenditures of government; on the other hand they complain when we do exactly that by reducing the size of the public service.

The Budget  Last fall the finance minister presented a grey book which is symbolic of these grey compromises between spending cuts and tax increases. Now it is abundantly clear that the government lacks what it takes to balance a budget, just like Mulroney and Wilson in 1984. Will the Prime Minister confirm that the colour scheme for the budget that his minister will deliver next Monday will be pale yellow?

Social Security System  Mr. Speaker, we were given a clear mandate on the things in the Red Book we said we would do. In a very short time we have delivered on most of those promises. We have dealt with a number of issues. I have to say that has not been the case for the proposal that came forward from that hon. member's party.

Income Tax  In case the front benches have their hearing aids turned down, let me repeat the message loud and clear: no more taxes.

Hon. Lucien Bouchard  Anything else is shameful manipulation. Quebecers deserve better than that after all. For my part, I say yes to one clear question. I say yes to a strong Quebec, I say yes to a unified Canada.

Unemployment Insurance Act  He said his colleague in transport and he had been involved in discussions with the primary stakeholders and that the details of the discussions would be made available once the budget was tabled in this House. The message is clear. We will not have any more information until next week. The minister's response to this, in a minute or two, will be, I expect, a good couple of minutes of fine speech-making, devoid of content.