Mr. Speaker, I am certainly pleased to speak on this issue.
I have a unique perspective from most members in this House in that I served here for five years from 1988 to 1993. I was defeated in 1993 and was resurrected again in 1997. It is kind of like a time machine. I was out for four years but all of a sudden I have been thrown right back in.
I have a perspective where I can see the effect of the changes perhaps more dramatically than others. Others who have served here have seen the incremental changes resulting from the government policies over the years. I see a dramatic change. I see a very dramatic change in almost every social program, every issue that deals with people who need the most help, every area that needs the most help.
It has impressed me a great deal that even in our jobs as members of Parliament we are much more active and much busier trying to help people through the system. When I was here before, people who had reasonable requests received reasonable reception and it took a reasonable time to get through the system. Now it seems to take forever to get through anything, whether it is employment insurance, job training, health care, education, or any aspect.
It is interesting that a few minutes ago the hon. minister for foreign trade said in his speech that we made these cuts and we made these changes with the support of Canadians. He said that Atlantic Canada was one of the cheap beneficiaries of these policy changes. We ran out of time but I wanted to ask him if Canadians supported him, how could he possibly interpret what happened in Nova Scotia as support.
In May there were 11 MPs in Nova Scotia and every single one was a Liberal. In the 1997 election every single Liberal member of Parliament was defeated. I do not know how that is interpreted as support but I am sure the hon. minister could come up with an interpretation that 100% defeat is support. I am not sure how to do it but I am sure he can do it. As he spoke I thought he must have the map turned upside down because certainly the people in Atlantic Canada sent a strong message that we do not support the cuts to all the social programs and all the things that help the people most in need.
All social aspects were hit. My area has one of the highest unemployment rates in Nova Scotia. Our unemployment rate falls between 15% and 40%. There is no program. There is no strategy. There is no job training of any consistency to help people. This coincides with and certainly supports the NDP motion in that regard.
It is not only unemployment but there are cuts to health care. Our health care system is in chaos. Doctors are leaving faster than we can replace them. We have band-aid solutions. We kind of bribe doctors to come in and set up in our area but it is just a band-aid solution and the problem again is cuts to our social fabric and the social programs. It seems to me to be totally contradictory to the Liberal philosophy of helping people which was always there but seems to have completely disappeared.
In education the government has come up with this new idea of public-private partnerships to build and replace schools that are now dilapidated and deteriorated beyond repair and really need to be replaced. They have started a few of these public-private projects to try to save money to keep the province and the feds from borrowing money because the transfers to the province were reduced. All of a sudden they are packing up. They are not working. There are all kinds of problems with them. They have bypassed the tendering system. There is patronage and favouritism. There is false economy wherein the government may save borrowing a few million dollars but the obligation to the people of Nova Scotia is incredible.
On the issue of highways, my area has one of the most dangerous highways in Canada. Forty people have died on that highway. It is in drastic need of replacement so the government says “Well, we do not want to replace that dangerous highway. We will propose a toll highway”. Even in a report submitted by a group of lawyers who worked on this project they say “One is immediately struck with the realization that this region of Nova Scotia is not one which should be conducive to a successful toll road. Highway 104 is anticipated to handle only 6,000 vehicles a day in a rural and economically challenged region of the country.” In effect they say that it should not be a toll road, that the government should pay for it.
It then goes on to say that if we can control the tolls totally and put them up whenever we want to, if we can direct traffic, prevent people from taking other roads and force them to take this toll road, we may be able to make this economically depressed region of Nova Scotia work. It says that if we can relax construction standards, make narrower asphalt, no shoulders and all these sorts of things, maybe we can ram it through and maybe it will work. Well, I do not think it is going to work.
I believe it is false economy. In order to save $60 million on that road the government is obligating the people of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland to 30 years of paying tolls that will total $538 million. They are going to cause the people of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland to spend $538 million while pretending that it will save $60 million. It will create an interprovincial trade barrier. It is in every way just false economy to obligate the people to spend $538 million to save $60 million.
In my region all employment is done by small business. There are no large employers, no giant international corporations. It is all done by small business. The overcharge on employment insurance is costing jobs. There is also the fact that there is no money being put into retraining, nor is there any consistent policy which would help to address the tremendous unemployment problem. In certain pockets of my riding as I said before it is as high as 40%.
Basically the small business employers in my riding are being fined by being overcharged on employment insurance premiums. There is still no plan, no consistent retraining programs and no strategy.
As I said before, I was away for four years and now I have come back. The thing that hits me the hardest is what is happening to our Canada pension plan and to the people who need disability benefits. When I left, if a doctor said a person was disabled, within a reasonable length of time if the person qualified for CPP disability, if they had paid the premiums, they could get disability benefits. Now I do not know how disabled a person has to be to get disability insurance. It is incredible. I have a couple of examples which reflect on the impact the policy changes have on the people who need help the most.
Mrs. Marjorie Newman of Oxford Junction, Nova Scotia applied for Canada pension disability benefits in March 1995. Through 1996 and all the way through 1997 she has been stalled and given excuses. There have been all sorts of delays. Now she is told that she will not have a hearing until late 1998. She applied in March 1995. We cannot imagine the stress on this poor woman. We cannot imagine the frustration and the fear which this lady has. This just should not be.
The doctor's report said “Marjorie Newman is totally disabled and unable to work”. Mrs. Newman is clearly disabled and unable to work at any job and it puzzles me how her application for Canada pension disability has been refused. It started in 1995 and now she is looking at late 1998.
Here is another example which I find shocking. I do not understand how people can be expected to pay into the Canada pension plan and then have this happen. This case concerns Archie Black. He lives in a place called Shenimecas in my riding. I have known him all my life. He comes from a long line of dedicated, hard working people. He can no longer work. He wants to work. His doctor said “Mr. Black is completely disabled from any form of employment”.
He applied in September 1994 for Canada pension disability. Through 1995, 1996 and 1997 they kept asking him for more information. We cannot imagine the mental anguish and stress which have been placed on this man. Now he is fearful of losing his home. I do not understand how this can be allowed to happen. A disabled person has to wait three or even four years for an answer as to whether they qualify for Canada pension disability benefits.
It is incredible. All of these things indicate the philosophy of the Liberal government. It does not matter whether it is unemployment, education, health care, the Canada pension plan or even killer highways. The present Liberal approach hits the poorest regions the hardest and it hits the people who need help the most the hardest.
I will support this motion today because it reflects on the overall policy of the government. I agree with deficit reduction, but I do not agree that it should be achieved on the backs of the people who cannot help themselves and who need help the most.