Mr. Speaker, to be or not to be, a surplus or a deficit? That is the question to be answered next Tuesday with the release of the federal budget.
Whether there will be a financial surplus or not, the fact remains that there is in this country a human deficit evidenced by high unemployment, high student debtload, high cost of health care, environmental problems and high rates of suicide and other problems among youth, and the crisis around national unity.
While these human deficit problems impact on all communities, they impact most severely on aboriginal communities. Whereas national unity and a deficit free Canada require strong partnerships and whereas the government has recognized aboriginal peoples' right to self-government and has expressed a willingness to work in partnership, will the Prime Minister guarantee that aboriginal peoples will have their rightful place at future first ministers conferences and constitutional discussions?
Such is a must to have a truly unified and deficit free country.