Artists For Sovereignty  These artists wanted to express publicly their determination to see Quebec become a country. Singer Paul Piché delivered a clear message to Quebecers: "We know you. We imitate you. We heal your pain in love. We give words to your fears, your desires and your hopes. We have faith in you. You can have faith in us; you are entitled".

Internet  I urge the House to condemn Ernst Zundel and Zundels afterward for racist and hate mongering activities. All members of the House must stand together and send a loud and clear message that promotion of hatred against any identifiable group is unacceptable and will not be tolerated by Canadians.

The Budget  They indicated, and I certainly support them, constituents give us their precious tax dollars and it is our job to make it work. We must bring some accountability to the process. There was clear support among participants that spending cuts were inevitable. They asked us to take a good look at our existing programs and the funding mechanisms for them. In other areas there was no consensus reached.

The Budget  The budget also looks beyond the two-year target because our fiscal reforms will continue to pay off in the years after sustaining our progress toward the government's ultimate goal, a balanced budget. Our cautious fiscal and economic assumptions make clear the need for tough measures. To hit our targets we are implementing cumulative savings over the next three years of $29 billion. These actions mean changing the size and shape of government.

The Budget  The minister has finally learned to talk the talk, but he made only a feeble attempt to walk the walk. He said that Canadians want clear action and then he proceeded to deliver mush. Previous finance ministers were able to play budgetary games, sleights of hand for 20 years without making any real spending cuts. I acknowledge that the incumbent did make some real cuts.

The Budget  In an increasingly multi-channeled environment the current mandate to provide a wide range of programming that informs, enlightens and entertains is too broad. It is also clear that the mandate of the CBC is to provide Canadians with predominantly Canadian programming. However, what Canadians are being subjected to is extremely questionable in terms of meeting the prescribed mandate.

The Budget  They want to achieve this through cuts in government spending. The government has heard this message loud and clear. For that reason we have committed to cutting $7 in expenditures for every $1 in increased revenues. To ensure fairness in the tax system, the government has closed a number of loopholes that benefit large corporations and banks and has avoided increasing the burden on individual and middle class Canadians and their families by refusing to increase personal income tax.

The Budget  The parliamentary secretary this morning even had the temerity to raise day care when if one reads page 40 of the red book as Canadians have, one will find there is a clear commitment to increase day care spaces by 50,000 a year the moment the economy goes beyond 3 per cent. Is there anything about that in the budget now? That was the Liberal position. They vowed to stand shoulder to shoulder with single mothers, with poor families, with refugees and immigrants, with the regionally disadvantaged, with the sick, with needy children here at home or abroad, all of whom were to be given more, not less, financial support by a Liberal government.

The Budget  I think the question is clear.

The Budget  I could also mention the outcome of the election in Brome-Missisquoi. I think voters made it quite clear to the hon. member for Sherbrooke that what he represented was not what they wanted. His party came in fourth or fifth. My position is that, with our natural resources, with our culture and with everything we have developed in Quebec in recent years, the people are ready for this question, and they are ready to say yes.

The Budget  The budget tells Canadians the government will be releasing a paper later this year with changes required to the old age security and guaranteed income supplement programs to ensure their affordability. These changes are to take effect in 1997. The budget documents make it clear that significant changes are coming. While it promises undiminished protection for all seniors who are less well off, it gives us no numbers. What does this government consider to be well off?

Firearms Act  One can therefore reason that if this is true it is also too early to impose or evaluate the effectiveness of further controls such as a national registration system that would require more time and would place further stress on the already sparse financial resources of the nation's taxpayer. There are clear constraints in public funding when it comes to our police forces that are already responsible for protecting our citizens under other provisions of the Criminal Code. It has been estimated by the justice department that implementation of a registration system could cost up to $85 million with an annual maintenance cost of $10 million, not considering annual increases.

Firearms Act  They should try to determine whether they can legislate that the offence not be subject to a plea bargain or find some other solution. A clear message must be sent to the criminal community in Canada that if criminals carry guns and commit crimes, they will be punished for the crime and for carrying the weapon. I am also supportive of those parts of the bill which would attack the problem of gun smuggling in Canada.

Firearms Act  Let us do everything in our power to stop the 375,000 guns from finding their way into hands of criminals. Let us send a clear message to the people who bring them across the border that if they get caught, they will not just get a slap on the wrist or a fine, but a guarantee of time behind bars. Currently we have mandatory sentences for firearms offences that are not enforced because they are plea bargained away.

Petitions  Speaker, the second petition has a total of 32 signatures from Calgarians who ask Parliament to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act to protect individuals from discrimination based on sexual orientation, sending a clear message of equality for everyone.