Mr. Speaker, the people of Ontario are a caring people. Throughout the history of this province they have contributed generously to confederation.
This generosity, however, is being put to the test by the government. Despite electing 98 Liberal MPs in the last election, issues that concern Ontario are not being addressed. Nothing exemplifies this lack of representation more than the growing smuggling problem.
The Liberal solution to smuggling announced last February has failed to stem the tide of guns, alcohol, drugs and tobacco streaming into Ontario. Smuggling accounts for the vast majority of cases involving the criminal use of firearms in Ontario and it facilitates the illegal use of drugs. It has cost thousands of jobs in the distilling industry and the government has lost billions of dollars in revenue.
The old saying about safety in numbers obviously does not apply to Ontario's voice in Ottawa.