Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is not familiar with my riding and its nature. There is very little agricultural activity in my riding.
The member mentions rural Saskatchewan and that I should have some understanding of these issues. My grandfather would agree because he, my mother's father, was the member of Parliament for Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan and spoke often of the concerns of agriculture in the House in the 1950s.
The budget is balanced. Perhaps the hon. member is not aware that in last year's budget Atlantic Canada took quite a strong hit. We lost a lot of military bases. Close to my riding, the base in Shearwater was cut by 40 per cent. We lost the base in Cornwallis and have had other cuts across Atlantic Canada in the 1994 budget. It was gratifying and satisfying to see a greater balance in this budget.
The hon. member talks about the problem of diversification in agriculture. Canola, invented in western Canada, is one of the products being grown more and more in western Canada and is providing a real good cash crop for western farmers. The area is also seeing more development and work in terms of bio-fuels. Both of these commodities are the kinds of things that can provide for western diversification and allow farmers to keep operating in western Canada, which I think is very important.