Madam Speaker, on behalf of the New Democratic Party on the federal side, we do wish to congratulate the newest member from St. John's West on his electoral victory. We welcome him to the House of Commons. He brings a certain dialect and flair to the House of Commons, as only Newfoundlanders and Labradorians can, and I thank him for that.
Although I do disagree with a couple of political statements he has made, I want to thank him for bringing up the issue of tourism and other things with regard to the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. We in Nova Scotia think we have a pretty good province to visit, too. I will make the hon. member a pledge. I will go to his province and visit if he will come to our province to visit as well.
He mentioned a couple of things about health care and the CBC. This is where I find that the Conservatives, sometimes in a campaign, will campaign from the left and govern from the right.
I believe in the party's 1997 election platform which stated that it would advocate further cuts to the CBC. The CBC cuts did not happen under just the Liberal Party. They happened when the Mulroney Conservatives were in power from 1984 to 1993. They started the cuts and the Liberals continued them. Does the hon. member agree with the 1997 platform of the Conservative Party of further cuts to the CBC?
I admire him and the member for St. John's East who went to the Friends of the CBC rally. I do hope they are able to change the way the Conservative Party thinks and stands up for public broadcasting in this country from coast to coast to coast.
The member's own party leader said that he supported Ralph Klein's bill 11 and that he also supported advocates of two tier health care in this country. We know that in Newfoundland and Labrador the majority of people when polled were dead against a two tiered health care system. Being a long term parliamentarian in his own provincial legislature, the member for St. John's West should know very clearly what a two tier health care system would do to the people of the outports whom he so eloquently defended right here in the House.
Does the member advocate further cuts to the CBC as his party's platform did in 1997? Does he support his party leader's approach to a two tier health care system in this country?