Speech From The Throne  Mr. Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the hon. member for Mount Royal. After an absence of three and a half years, it is a great honour and a privilege to return to the House today and to convey on their behalf the concerns of the constituents of Halifax West. I wish to talk about some of those concerns today, but first let me tell hon. members about my constituency of Halifax West.

Speech From The Throne  Mr. Speaker, I have a question for the hon. member. She mentioned that, in the throne speech, the government is moving towards a unitary state. I find it hard to believe that she would even suggest such a thing. Does the hon. member not recognize that the government system in Canada is one of the most decentralized systems in the world?

Broadcast Act  Wrong.

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for The Battlefords-Meadow Lake for his question. I always enjoy hearing questions from this hon. member because he holds the seat that my grandfather, Jack Harrison, held many years ago and we have once in a while had exchanges in the House and it has always been a pleasure to discuss important issues with him.

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, I am splitting my time with the hon. member for Saint-Denis. With this, our fourth budget, we begin to build the future while recognizing we are still constrained by the past. As we head into the new millennium, we are continuing to restore Canada's fiscal health. We are continuing to invest in immediate jobs and growth.

Supply  Mr. Speaker, before I go to the substance of these questions, it strikes me as fascinating that the Reform Party, the party that always calls for faster and deeper cuts and says we are not going fast enough in making cuts in government, is the same party that when it comes to things in their backyard Reform members say: "Not in my backyard.

Supply  Mr. Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the hon. member for Leeds-Grenville. I am pleased to rise today to participate in the opposition day debate on federal transportation policies. The government clearly outlined the role of the federal government through the 1994 national airports policy and set itself to ensure provision of a safe, efficient, accountable and locally sensitive airport network.

Harmonized Sales Tax  Mr. Speaker, the Atlantic Provinces Economic Council says the harmonized sales tax will be good for business and job creation. Its new report says the HST will help businesses save more than $584 million a year. Businesses will no longer pay sales tax on items they buy to create their products or build their plants.

Canada Labour Code  Madam Speaker, today I would like to discuss the proposed amendments to part I of the Canada Labour Code and how important they are to the workers they apply to. These amendments as outlined in Bill C-66 will have some enduring benefits to this important player, the employee, in the rapidly changing labour scenario.

Radioactive Waste Importation Act  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to speak on Bill C-236 which has a significant international component. Canada has an important role to play in strengthening international co-operation in radioactive waste safety. This assistance would diminish if the bill passes. Radioactive waste from peaceful uses of nuclear energy has many uses from medical treatments to the production of electric power.

Atlantic Entrepreneur Of The Year  Mr. Speaker, today I would like to honour the nominees from Halifax West for the Atlantic Entrepreneur of the Year award. The Entrepreneur of the Year award recognizes Atlantic Canada's best business people and puts them at the forefront of this national awards program. Nominees from Halifax West include: Joe Dunford, president of EnviroSeal Engineering Products in Waverley; Glenn Wadden and Rob Spencer of Trihedral Engineering Limited in Bedford; Ron Mayhew, owner of Sportwheels in Lower Sackville; and Canada's best known green grocer, Pete Luckett, president of Pete's Frootique in Bedford.

Petitions  Madam Speaker, I would like to present a petition urging Parliament to table a bill to protect endangered species. This is only part of the petition, which was signed by a total of 70,000 people.

Petitions  Madam Speaker, I also want to present two petitions which seek amendments to the Criminal Code to increase the penalties on those convicted of driving while impaired.

Starlab  Mr. Speaker, in Halifax West our government is fulfilling its commitment to youth and technology by funding an innovative project. Recently I had the pleasure of attending the launching of Starlab, a cutting edge teaching tool. For school children, this mobile planetarium generates interest in the sciences by changing the focus from lecturing to experiencing.

Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency  Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Industry. The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency has made great strides in helping to improve the Atlantic economy. In this time of major adjustment there is still an important role for ACOA, but a Senate banking committee has suggested that ACOA be merged with other agencies.