Debates of Nov. 28th, 1997

Goods And Services Tax

[The Acting Speaker (Mr. McClelland)]

The time for Private Members' Business has expired. However as colleagues know, it is a convention in the House on non-votable private members' motions that the last few minutes are very often given to the mover of the motion to sum up.

Do we have the unanimous consent of the House to give the mover of the motion, the hon. member for Dartmouth, three minutes to sum up?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[Wendy Lill, NDP, Dartmouth, NS]

Mr. Speaker, that is about as much time as I am going to need.

I cannot tell you, Mr. Speaker, how disappointed I am that I was not able to get unanimous consent on this motion. I thought this was something we might be able to come together on.

I am speaking on behalf of all the readers and the potential readers in Canada who were negatively impacted by this decision to not open this issue one more time for discussion. Given the fact that 83% of Canadians would like to see the GST removed from reading materials, I would say that it is a sad day for democracy.

I would also say that it seemed to me that it should have been possible for a dozen or so people left in this House on a Friday afternoon to actually address the issue at hand, which was the very direct relationship between the cost of books and literacy. That was really the only issue we had to be discussing today. We did not have to take each other down ideological paths around labour, around school boards and around Hustler magazine. A lot of red herrings were hauled out on to the floor this afternoon. I am very disappointed at that. The people who were hoping that this might be chance to discuss the GST again are really going to be saddened by that.

I want to close with a request to the Liberals. Why will you not keep the promise that you made many times over your reign and before you were elected? Please, do what you said you were going to do. In the words of your Minister of Canadian Heritage, “Food is not subject to GST because it is a necessity. So are books. They are needed for young minds to grow”. This is from the heritage minister. I hope that at some point your party will somehow get together on your ideas on this and you may in fact do what people in Canada have been asking be done for many years.

[The Acting Speaker (Mr. McClelland)]

The time provided for the consideration of Private Members' Business has now expired and the order is dropped from the Order Paper.

It being 2.34 p.m., this House stands adjourned until Monday next at 11 a.m., pursuant to Standing Order 24(1).

(The House adjourned at 2.34 p.m.)