Mr. Speaker, near as I can gather from the member's remarks, he is saying the equalization payments which are designed to bring all the provinces up to the same sort of minimum national standards and opportunities should continue to be paid even when a province on its own back can raise the money through its own resources.
In other words, what he is saying is that if a worker is on employment insurance, for example, he should be entitled to get a job as well with which he doubles his income, one from the government and one from the job. Or that a person on welfare should be able to get the social assistance and also get the money from a job or any other resources. What he is saying if I gather correctly is that rather than the people of Newfoundland wanting to earn their own way from their own resources, they should continue to tap the governments, the federal resources, federal social assistance.
I submit this is indeed the type of agenda, the type of pattern that we saw in the Conservatives of the past. I do not believe it speaks actually to the other parties in Newfoundland, the Liberals perhaps or the NDP. I think it is a Conservative philosophy where not only do we get as much money as we can from our own resources but we get as much money as we can from the central government.
I submit that is not what produces independence, that is not what produces dignity among people. I suggest the Conservatives should understand that people now have to get off the gravy train unless they need help. If they need help, yes.
The member suggested that closure has somehow been something that is interfering with the ability of Newfoundlanders and other people in the have-not provinces getting these equalization payments. Rhetoric is not what these people need right now. What they need is this legislation to go through as fast as possible.