Mr. Speaker, I take issue with one of the premises raised by the member, that it is nature's fault the fish are gone. It is the federal government's fault to a large degree because it is the one that encouraged people to keep fishing when everyone knew fish stocks were dwindling.
Central Canada was largely strengthened when tariff barriers went up and the regions paid a huge price. That was the fault of the government of the day.
The things that are working well now in Atlantic Canada come from the private sector. The private sector is creating a tremendous amount of jobs at Voisey's Bay. That should be the model. There is not a nickel deposit every few miles but we have to understand that is where the solutions are for Atlantic Canada.
In some cases people do become dependent on unemployment insurance. To ignore that or to say it is not true is to put one's head in the sand. Two successive premiers of Newfoundland have said that people become dependent on unemployment insurance. We must start to be aware of that in the types of programs we design. That is what the government needs to start doing and that is certainly what the Reform Party would do.