The Budget  Mr. Speaker, I find it so humorous that I could almost laugh. All of a sudden that right wing party is talking about jobs, health care and the plight of the poor. It is talking about those issues because it cannot deal with the only issue that it ran on in the last election, which was cleaning up the finances of the nation by slashing and cutting everything that was not nailed down.

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, as you know, I was in opposition between 1988 and 1993. I understand the opposition mentality. When I sat across from Brian Mulroney, who is the big brother of the Reform Party, I used to get these numbers as well. However, it is important to get the facts on the record.

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, as I was saying, our efforts in the last almost four years clearly show that by 1998 and 1999 net borrowing requirements will be zero. That is how most countries define a balanced budget. So what we can now say is that we have the deficit under control. As well, the debt is starting to fall as a portion of GDP.

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to enter the budget debate. First, I would like to congratulate the Minister of Finance on a job well done. I would like to say to my constituents, welcome to the greatest nation on earth. It is easy for me to say that, simply because we have fulfilled the commitments we made in 1993.

Kenworth Corporation  Mr. Speaker, the TJF in the province of Quebec is now in full force. If the member is asking if we are willing to look at a proposal to help a particular industry or to create long term jobs I suggest that he make the proposal to human resources development and we will be more than willing to look at it.

Employment Insurance  Mr. Speaker, I am always interested in questions put by the hon. member. The question she asks is at this point somewhat hypothetical. The question she asks is what will be the active measures for the province of Quebec. She knows and the House knows that we are negotiating with the province of Quebec at this moment with respect to part II of the EI legislation.

Employment Insurance  Mr. Speaker, I can understand that the member is having difficulty understanding the finances of the Department of Human Resources Development. It is for one reason. She is looking at the old programs that the province of Quebec used to have. We have made significant changes in programs.

Canadian Census  Mr. Speaker, indeed helping young Canadians make the transition into the workforce has been a priority of this government. This is an obvious statement in that the 1996 budget reallocated some $315 million of budget savings to help create employment opportunities for young Canadians over the next three years.

Constitution Act, 1867  Mr. Speaker, I would like to respond to my colleague's question in the short time that I have. The new EI bill is intended to help people get back to work. There is no doubt that we have moved from a passive system to a very active system. The employment benefits are there to assist participants in obtaining employment and to help them continue with their skills development if necessary.

Canada Labour Code  Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to speak in support of this bill. I begin by reinforcing what my colleagues have said about the fair and balanced nature of this legislation. I come to this discussion with a unionist background, someone who has sat at the other side of the table.

National Diabetes Month  Mr. Speaker, as many members are aware, November is national diabetes month. We are all familiar with this disease and the impact it has on Canadians and their families. What many people are not aware of, though, is the alarming prevalence of diabetes in First Nations' communities.

Disabled Persons  Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for an important question to all Canadians. First, this is a very important issue to the Government of Canada and to society as a whole. We think that people with disabilities should be active members in our society. We just received the report that was made public this morning.

Competition Act  Madam Speaker, I too would like to take this opportunity to congratulate my colleague, the member for Nickel Belt, a fellow northerner from northern Ontario, on his private member's Bill C-266. It is important before we get into the substance of the bill to examine the historical context of why we are here today.

Child Care  Mr. Speaker, it is always interesting to listen to the Reform members asking questions in the House. If they read the whole red book they would know that it deals specifically with the collaboration of the provinces. Once we have an agreement with the provinces on some sort of child care initiative we will certainly announce it in the House.

Child Care  Mr. Speaker, again I can only say to the member that when we announced the CHST we made it quite clear that there was a tremendous amount of flexibility within the program in the delivery of finances to the provinces. That flexibility does not suggest one particular child care initiative over another, but does give flexibility to the provinces to allow parents to choose the child care facilities or areas which they think are best suited to their location.