Robert Alfred Corbett
Progressive Conservative
Mr. Bob Corbett (Fundy-Royal):
Madam Speaker, the Government has been making overtures to the Canadian public in anticipation of the impending election. Before it begins making new election promises I would like to remind it of one promise it made Canadians almost four years ago.
In a series of remarks before the Halifax Board of Trade, the Prime Minister (Mr. Trudeau) said, "I am announcing today, as part of our program, that a Liberal Government will take immediate action to ensure the full co-operation of all Parties in the construction of a natural gas pipeline to Quebec City and the Maritimes. The pipeline will have a reversible capacity so that Maritimers will have the opportunity, both to use western natural gas now and to send offshore gas to central Canada later".
Today we see that the Government has fulfilled its promise to the Quebec electorate but not to the Maritimers who are still dependent on oil imported from abroad. It is unreasonable to force Maritimers to buy foreign oil when Canada has the resources not only to satisfy our domestic needs but to export these resources abroad.
It would appear that the heady talk of energy self-sufficiency by 1990 was merely an election ploy designed to seduce Canadians with what they wanted to hear. It was not the talk of a responsible Government concerned with energy security and self-sufficiency, but of an irresponsible Party concerned with political security and self-sufficiency.
Subtopic: POLITICAL PARTIES
Sub-subtopic: LIBERAl PROMISE TO CONSTRUCT NATURAL GAS PIPELINE TO MARIT1MES