Mr. Speaker, given the fact that the province of Newfoundland and Labrador continues to suffer from having the highest unemployment rate in all of Canada, which at 20 percent is more than double the national average, it is only proper that this Newfoundland tragedy be described for what it really is, a national disgrace.
As such it is indeed deserving of the special attention of the Government of Canada. It is a chronic problem and a lack of a solution to it does nothing for the image of Canada among the leading industrialized nations of the world, of which Canada is one.
Surely a nation that can put a man in space can do something about a long-standing problem a whole lot closer to home. Therefore I call on the prime minister and the Government of Canada to give this issue the attention it needs and the attention it deserves.