Dick Harris

[Indian Affairs, March 2nd, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General has severely criticized the department of Indian affairs for its lack of financial accountability, its lack of program monitoring and its lack of program evaluation. Yet instead of being cut back like all the other departments in the government, Indian affairs actually received a $447 million increase in its budget.

Considering that it is well documented that Indian affairs spending is out of control and has a serious lack of accountability, how can the minister even begin to justify an increase in his department's budget?

[Borrowing Authority Act, 1995-96, March 2nd, 1995]

Madam Speaker, on a point of order. While the member for Medicine Hat was on debate he was referring to his relationship with his children and the hon. member for London-Middlesex was hurling comments across the floor directed at the hon. member's children.

I find that absolutely reprehensible.

[The Budget, March 1st, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, as I listened to the various Liberal members who have spoken about this marvellous budget of theirs today only one thought comes to my mind, they do not understand fundamental arithmetic.

The Canadian people, the taxpayers, who have been funding all these programs that previous governments have put in based on election promises and credit card funding, have been saying that overspending has to stop. They want to see a balanced budget down the road. They want to see some tax relief down the road.

This red ink budget that the Liberals have delivered by 1997 will add another $100 billion to the debt and will increase the interest payments on that debt to some $51 billion to $52 billion. Can they not get it straight? It is the mountainous debt and the

mountainous interest payments on that debt that are ripping the heart out of the social safety net of the country.

It is not enough today to nibble at the edges of overspending. We need a positive, progressive plan to decrease the deficit to a zero budget. That is what the Canadian people want. They will not get it from the government. It has not been listening to them.

[Points Of Order, March 1st, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, in response to a point of order raised by the hon. member for Skeena on February 9, the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development stated that I held a meeting in my riding of Prince George-Bulkley Valley entitled "Let the people speak" and that natives were neither notified nor asked to sit on a panel at the meeting.

I held no such meeting in my riding. The minister has confused my riding with another and I would ask him to withdraw these remarks.

[Petitions, February 28th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition was also circulated by Mrs. Barbara Gobbi of Prince George and contains a number of names.

The petitioners humbly pray that Parliament enact legislation which will protect the unborn children of this country. The petitioners humbly pray and call upon Parliament to do so.

Here again I personally support this petition.

[Petitions, February 28th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I am pleased to

present two petitions today. The first petition was circulated by Mrs. Barbara Gobbi of my riding of Prince George-Bulkley Valley and contains a number of names.

The petitioners pray that Parliament ensure that the present provisions of the Criminal Code of Canada prohibiting assisted suicide be enforced vigorously and that Parliament make no changes in the law which would sanction or allow the aiding or abetting of suicide or active or passive euthanasia.

I am pleased to say that I personally support this petition.

[Petitions, February 8th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I am pleased to present four petitions from the riding of Prince George-Bulkley Valley all to do with the issue of euthanasia.

The petitioners pray that Parliament ensure that the present provisions of the Criminal Code of Canada prohibiting assisted suicide be enforced vigorously and that Parliament make no change to the law which would sanction or allow the aiding or abetting of suicide or active or passive euthanasia.

The first petition is from the Mennonite Brethren, Nechako Community Church in Vanderhoof, B.C. The second petition dealing with euthanasia is also from Vanderhoof, B.C. The third and fourth petitions are from Prince George, B.C. I am pleased to say that I personally support all four of these petitions.

[Taxation, February 8th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I am sorry the spending habits of the Liberals influenced my speaking. I withdraw that comment.

Mr. Speaker, $500,000 spent to refurbish the offices in Toronto, subsidization for posh houses for military brass and paying for their golf vacations in Florida. The minister of furnishings and oceans, not to be outdone, has spent millions of dollars on new equipment for his department and tens of thousands of dollars for his own office.

How on earth can the Prime Minister expect Canadians to cough up more tax dollars? Does he believe, as the hon. member from Broadview-Greenwood believes, that Canadians will simply roll over and pay?

[Taxation, February 8th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, this government still refuses to rule out tax increases in the upcoming budget. This should come as no surprise considering the Liberal's spending habits. For example, the minister of national decadence has had his Toronto office-

[The Debt, February 7th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, on January 27, I participated in a debate at the University of Manitoba entitled "Generation X-Inheriting the Debt".

I sat in utter astonishment as I listened to the Liberal member from St. Boniface say to these students whose futures are in jeopardy because of decades of Liberal and Tory overspending that continued deficits have been worth it because "look at all the good things we have".

My astonishment turned to utter disbelief when the same Liberal member from St. Boniface stated that all the talk about MPs' pensions being so rich is just a crock. As this member and other Liberal trough feeders continue to extol the virtues of deficit spending and point to the frugality of their pension plans, one can be sure that the Canadian taxpayers recognizes that this Liberal defence in fact is just a crock.