Mr. Speaker, I am always happy to answer questions about the provincial government in Saskatchewan, although this is not the correct forum.
The member raises a number of issues. He talks about credibility. I have some little quotes by him and other colleagues of his in the House of Commons from various policy books about how the Reform Party wants to eliminate the agriculture subsidies faster, harder and quicker so that there is not even the six cents on every dollar the farmers are receiving now. Reform wants them to have nothing, not just six cents.
What Reformers are looking for in this forum are tax cuts because it is the honourable thing to do. They talked about their priorities. They are so busy cashing CNR and CPR dividend cheques that they do not have the interests of the farmers at heart.
There are some tax situations in Saskatchewan that are higher than most. I remind the Reform member that it was his coalition of Reformers, Liberals and Tories who bankrupted Saskatchewan in the first place. They were elected in 1982. They took a province that did not have one dime of debt and $2 billion in heritage funds, and in nine years put the Saskatchewan government $16 billion in debt for one million people. Now they are saying there are high taxes. They should be embarrassed and ashamed of themselves. They are the ones who put the people of Saskatchewan in this pickle, along with their colleagues across the way.
Let us talk about credibility. The member for Yorkton—Melville says that Saskatchewan has the highest fuel tax in the country. He is not only incorrect, he is wrong. Saskatchewan actually has the fifth lowest tax regime on fuel which should be directed more into the agriculture situation. Out of the 15 cents a litre that is collected in Saskatchewan on gasoline, about 80% goes back into the transportation programs such as highways and roads. Maybe it should use the whole 100%, as I have advocated here that the federal gas tax should be used 100% on rural transportation in rural Canada, not just in western Canada.
I want to point out for the record that it was their government that gave away the Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan in 1980 which provided $100 million a year in revenues to the Province of Saskatchewan. That was for potash that was sold outside the province. There was new American and foreign money coming in with high wages, high production and great revenues, plus another $150 million a year profit that it was making. They gave that all away. Guess what? Jobs were lost and the debt increased. They left the debt with the taxpayers and gave away all the assets.
We now have Chuck Childers, the now retired president of the Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan, going around the country saying what a great success this privatized corporation is. There are no more revenues going to the province. His salary is paid in U.S. dollars. He will not take Canadian dollars. He hired American vice-presidents to work with him and they are getting paid in U.S. dollars. I am not saying that is good or bad, I am just outlining this as fact. That is the way it is now under a Reform kind of crown corporation system.
I think the people of Saskatchewan would look at that in a very negative way. They did not support this in 1991 or 1995. I do not think they support it now.