Mr. Speaker, while I was listening to the eloquent debate brought on by the two members from Cape Breton, the member for Sydney—Victoria and the member for Bras d'Oir—Cape Breton, I wrote a quick little ditty of a poem for my friends in Cape Breton. I have not finished it yet but I thought I should start out my debate in this fashion:
It takes a brave man to mine the black ore To go deep in the earth and far under shore They start as healthy men when they are young They prematurely grow old with coal dust in their lungs They fight for fair pensions and employment they demand To raise their families on Cape Breton Island
That is a poem that I plan to send out to Cape Bretoners when I get it finished. It shows the passion brought to the House of Commons by my two colleagues from Cape Breton when it comes to standing up for Cape Bretoners, not just the coal miners but for the steelworkers, the fishermen and everyone who lives in that beautiful place on the planet.
The government and other opposition parties always talk about change and that we need to have change. I keep asking the government and opposition parties about the people who are on our streets asking for change, which is occurring more often.
This government's economic policies are dividing the rich and the poor even more. The middle class is eroding and more and more people are relying on charities, handouts and other avenues for their livelihood to get by on a daily basis.