Customs Tariff  The reason I mention this-in fact, the hon. member for Louis-Hébert and I both brought this up in our speeches is that today, some countries that benefit under the GPT can no longer be called developing countries, and I am thinking specifically of Singapore and South Korea. If we reassess the relevance of granting these countries GPT status, I think this might eventually have a political impact on our relations with those countries.

Customs Tariff  Some countries have been graduated and I am sure the hon. member means South Korea and Singapore. They have been graduated by the Americans for example and are no longer in that group of countries. Others such as Europe and Japan have not done that to these countries. The question of whether these countries should be removed from this group which gets the advantage of the GPT is something we can look at at any time.

The Budget  That is where this budget rings with a clear pure note. Out with the old, in with the new. The large corporations no longer have the lion's share of research and development. Technological innovation is going to come from the little companies, not the big ones. This government's budget addresses that fact.

The Budget  Generally speaking, the changes in the unemployment insurance program will mean that people will have to work longer to be eligible for lower benefits received for a shorter period of time. A study by professors at the department of economics of the University of Québec in Montreal shows that more than half of the cutbacks announced in the latest federal budget will be at the expense of Canada's unemployed.

The Budget  I am proud to represent this riding which is named after the great Blackfoot chief, Crowfoot. Although the Blackfoot band is no longer in my riding, its present chief, Striker Crowfoot, is a direct descendant of Chief Crowfoot. We met with him some time ago as a caucus committee and it was wonderful to sit in his presence and listen to his wisdom.

The Budget  Debt charges are underestimated, a very risky forecast. The international capital markets are waiting until this fall but not much longer. Parliament is where government comes to the people to get permission to tax and spend. This House bears the responsibility for the financial consequences of this nation. It is up to members to decide to take action.

The Budget  I was just going to ask the hon. minister if she could give me some assistance and possibly indicate as to how much longer she might be.

The Budget  In addition this budget addresses the badly needed reform of our social programs. Our social security system was designed for a different era and no longer meets Canadians' needs. We have hundreds of thousands of Canadians who are unemployed, underemployed or stuck on social assistance, who see unfairness and disincentives in the system and who live in poverty.

The Budget  I would invite her to work at making sure that Canada and Quebec set up structures that would make them able to face global competition in the years ahead. In that regard, Canadian federalism no longer represents the kind of structure that will allow us to be competitive in the global market.

The Budget  This budget demonstrates that the government has not learned from past mistakes. With a half a trillion dollars debt Canada can no longer rely on optimism. The underground economy is now estimated by Ernst & Young to be 15 per cent of the GDP or $100 billion annually. If this revenue could be taxed it would yield $40 billion in tax revenue, roughly the amount needed to eliminate our deficit.

The Budget  In the country over the past few months we have seen the faces of many people who have lost their employment, businesses that have gone underground and companies that have simply shut down. That is no longer acceptable in this great land. We have designed a policy which we believe will help Canada not only renew itself but the people within it. People do not want to live on UI or welfare.

The Budget  It is not in a developing country that we are talking about saving a hospital, it is in Quebec, in the Canadian health care system that we like to describe as one of the best in the world. Yes, trickery has its price: the mistrust of our fellow citizens when they can no longer receive the services that were promised to them and that they are entitled to under the law. The budget announces the creation of a centre of excellence for women's health. What about this centre and how much will be allocated to it, when the Medical Research Council's budget has been slashed by $10.8 million, cut from the networks of centres of excellence program.

The Budget  Would the member not agree that if Quebec were to separate and be an independent country, Canada would no longer have any facilities in Quebec? Does not the closing of that one military college, which he takes great umbrage at, foreshadow the closing of many more federal installations in Quebec to the tremendous detriment of Quebec and Canada?

The Budget  When we speak of 9,000 unemployed persons, we are really talking about thousands of other people who are affected, families, children and households in dire straits. Furthermore, the rate of 15.7 per cent does not include those who are no longer looking for work, those who have grown discouraged. This figure of 15.7 per cent does not include seasonal workers either. It is a conservative figure which masks a reality that is far bleaker.

Supply  It means developing creative strategies to ensure that scarce jobs are filled according to the principles of sound human resource and equity planning. The focus must be on developing training and retention programs that allow longer term internal changes to take place in the workforce. Employers can be expected to make more progress toward an equitable workforce during periods of economic growth than during periods of restraint.