Mr. Speaker, the one thing I would have to do is not so much write down the questions, although I want to say I did and I thank the member for his suggestion, but appeal to the Speaker for more time to answer all the questions.
Let me give the member the short answer; yes, yes, yes and yes. These are all problems. That is the most consistent and shortest answer I have ever given to a question in this House and please let the record show that.
Very specifically and very briefly, before I am cut off by the Speaker, with respect to search and rescue planes, it is an absolute disgrace that the contracts have not been let. Let me say I feel proud when I can stand in my place and mention that the very first press conference that I held, together with my three other New Democrat colleagues in Nova Scotia after we were elected to represent our people in the House of Commons in 1997, was around demanding that the Sea Kings be addressed. This was a very serious issue. I have no hesitation at all about reaffirming the position of our party on the question that has been raised.
Second, with respect to the north and the icebreakers. There could be a whole day's debate on why this is so important. Let me say not everybody makes the connection between the icebreakers and what is happening in the north and climate change, and what is going to happen with respect to Canadian sovereignty in the north. We need to be hearing a lot more about that.
Third, the museums are absolutely a problem. Wendy Lill, the former member from the Dartmouth riding was a huge champion of this. She actually spoke on my behalf when I was required to be here for a budget vote on this issue at a large meeting. We all stand together.
Finally, yes, the GST rebate for individual tourists absolutely should have been retained. It is more serious for some of the smaller areas and the less affluent areas, such as Yukon, the northern territories and the have-not provinces.
But then, what this whole debate is about is whether the government understands that have-not provinces are either going to stay in that status forever or have-not provinces are going to be given the kind of support, the kind of stimulus that will actually allow them to get out of that seemingly permanent entrapment of a have-not province, largely as a result of ill-conceived Tory and Liberal government policies over a very long time.