Armed Forces Bands  Mr. Speaker, on a number of occasions I have said that in view of the party's commitment, as outlined in the red book, every aspect of our defence budget is under review. I hope when we make our pronouncements on changes in the defence budget, the hon. member and his party will support the government's action.

Immigration  Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. The recently announced government immigration policy which will allow for the entry of nearly 200,000 immigrants this year under the family and independent class is commendable. These expected new arrivals, in addition to further enriching the multicultural fabric of our nation, will contribute greatly to economic growth according to the Economic Council of Canada.

Property Taxes  Mr. Speaker, I am well aware of the concern that many municipal leaders have expressed. Having been one myself formerly I understand the issue involved here. The matter is under review, as indeed the legislation is with respect to grants in lieu of taxes which comes under the direct jurisdiction of the Minister of Public Works and Government Services.

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, the hon. member has made an interesting suggestion. I think it can be best dealt with by having it studied by the House procedure committee on which her party is represented. This would enable the idea to be explored further. In the meantime opposition parties have opposition days during which they can debate subjects of their own choosing.

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, the hon. member has called for this to be a matter of a change in the standing orders. As a first step I think the broad implications of having debates on petitions should be considered in the committee set up by the House for the purpose of considering such changes, and that is the House committee on procedure.

Agriculture  Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for the question. The question he has raised is one of broad policy considerations. I must admit that in the last number of days I have been focusing more importantly on the immediate concern with respect to the work stoppage on the west coast.

Agriculture  Mr. Speaker, I do not think it is helpful, in the context of the circumstances existing at the present time, to speculate about the proposition the hon. member has raised. It is extremely important for us to urge the parties to assume their responsibilities, to get back to the bargaining table and to take full advantage of all mediation facilities that are being made available to them in the present circumstances by the Government of Canada.

Cigarette Smuggling  Mr. Speaker, what I said yesterday and what the Prime Minister mentioned repeatedly, is that we are asking all Canadians to respect the law, whether it is in a convenience store or on an Indian reserve. I am somewhat surprised by the member's question, because on the one hand he claims that this problem strictly concerns Indian reserves, while on the other hand he wants us to negotiate with those who created the problem.

Cigarette Smuggling  Second, the Prime Minister stated very clearly that we were going to co-operate closely with the provinces and try to come to an agreement. However, if we can not reach an agreement, we are prepared to go ahead on our own. I should say to the hon. member that his leader asked us last week to make a move with or without Quebec.

Cigarette Smuggling  Mr. Speaker, the problem of contraband smuggling is not limited to reserves. It is an unfortunate mistake on the part of the member if he leaves the Canadian people with the impression that this is strictly a problem on reserves. The problem of contraband smuggling is one that involves organized crime.

Northern Micro  Mr. Speaker, I would like to pay tribute to a Nepean based firm, Northern Micro, an innovative computer manufacturer. This company is a model of what small business can accomplish. As a Canadian manufacturer and network integrator, Northern Micro began supplying its extraordinary combination of performance and service in 1985.

Taxation  Mr. Speaker, as budget time approaches I would like to remind the finance minister that the previous government increased taxes to individuals 34 times, while the level of corporate income taxes have remained virtually the same over the past 10 years. It is time that the hard-working people of this nation, Canada's workers, farmers and small business people received a break.

Social Security System  Mr. Speaker, I am rising to discuss further the question I asked in the House the other day that dealt with the funding levels for settlement programs for immigrants. As I mentioned during question period, 59 per cent of the 250,000 immigrants who settle in Canada settle in Ontario but only 39 per cent of the federal immigration settlement program funds go to language training for Ontario.

Social Security System  I wanted to put a question to the hon. member. I listened to her speech; she talked about the deficit and Canada's financial problem. I simply wanted to ask her if she had discussed these issues with her colleagues since they have a certain experience with those problems which certainly existed prior to October 25.

Social Security System  First of all, Mr. Speaker, it is not only the case with Unemployment Insurance. My colleague opposite should know, if he worked in that field, that welfare recipients are confronted with the same kind of problems. So, it does not happen only with federal programs. In fact, as we speak, the problems facing welfare recipients may well be worse.