Hon. William Rompkey (Labrador):

Mr. Speaker, I have sent the following letter to the Minister of Employment and Immigration (Ms. McDougall):

Fishermen and plant workers on the Labrador coast feel that they are discriminated against under the U.I. regulations. The benefit period now ends May 15. Yet ice is in the bays on the Labrador coast until the end of June. During that time it is impossible for Fishermen to fish and, therefore, for plant workers to work . ..

. . . Labrador fishermen feel they are economically punished because of a fact of geography. Through no fault of their own and because of forces beyond their, or anybody else's, control they are without income for six weeks every year.

What other group in Canada is systematically denied income every year simply because of geography?

... In the long term what is needed is an income support plan for fishermen separate altogether from U.I. But until such time as that is introduced we must make U.I. work, inadequate as it is.

The Fishermen on the Labrador coast are among the most disadvantaged in Canada. They have struggled for centuries to eke out a living .. . But the fact remains that at the present they need a cash income during the winter months including the period from May 15 to June 30. The fishermen of Labrador are asking for simple justice when they ask for the extension of U.I. to the end of June.

Mr. Jean-Marc Robitaille (Terrebonne):

Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by thanking the people of Terrebonne for the confidence they showed in me on November 21. By giving me a majority vote, they also gave a majority vote to the Progressive Conservative Government and its extraordinary leader, the Right Hon. Prime Minister (Mr. Mulroney). For the second time in a row, the men and women of Terrebonne elected a member of the Progressive Conservative Party.

I shall endeavour to live up to the confidence they have shown in me.

The people of Terrebonne wanted someone who knows where he stands. They did not want a Liberal or a socialist, Mr. Speaker, as neither party knows where it stands. The people of Terrebonne, like the rest of Canada, showed great political savvy by refusing to give in to the unfair scare tactics used by the Liberals and the socialists.

The people of Terrebonne, in their unbounded wisdom, intelligence and self-assurance, chose the way of the future. The people of Terrebonne, Mr. Speaker, chose the way of free trade because they know that it will be good for them. We, the Conservative Party, know where we stand, and we shall keep our word.

Mr. Alan Redway (Don Valley East):

Mr. Speaker, once the free trade legislation has been enacted, the Government must quickly turn its attention to the problems of Canada's urban frontiers, our cities.

December 21, 1988

To some extent three of those problems, the lack of affordable housing, inadequate public transportation, and the need to clean up the environment, are all linked. The development of a modern, high-speed commuter rail network around our cities would not only help solve transportation problems, but would also provide the infrastructure necessary to increase substantially the supply of less expensive land available for badly needed housing, while at the same time reducing pollution and conserving energy.

The linchpin is the high-speed commuter rail network. Rail is a federal responsibility and no Progressive Conservative Government has ever failed to build a railway to solve a problem. Let us hope this one will not be the exception.

Mr. John F. Brewin (Victoria):

Mr. Speaker, in the last 12 months at least half a million children in the Third World have died because of a slowdown or reversal of economic progress in their countries. UNICEF, in its annual report released yesterday, places the blame squarely on the crushing burden of debt owed by these countries to banks and financial institutions in the industrialized world.

UNICEF has called for a summit of world leaders to reduce this deadly accumulation of debt. It has asked for Canada's assistance in promoting such a summit. As one of the rich countries in the world we have an obligation to accede to the request.

I call upon the Prime Minister (Mr. Mulroney) to make every effort to ensure that such a summit will be held. In 1989 the UN will be adopting the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The protection of these rights, however, must start now.

Mrs. Suzanne Duplessis (Louis-Hebert):

Mr. Speaker, my first words are to congratulate you on your reelection as Speaker of this Hon. House. On November 21st, constituents of Louis-Hebert returned me here and I want to thank them today. Like my first term, this second one entails heavy responsibilities, but I am convinced that with the support of all my constituents and people in the community, I can perform my role in an efficient and dignified manner.

As in the past, I intend to keep listening to the people in Sainte-Foy, Sillery and Cap-Rouge, and my constituency office will always be open to all.

In this holiday season, I would like to extend to all those 1 am privileged to represent in this House my best wishes, and may the New Year bring peace, health and happiness to you and members in your family!

Mr. Don Boudria (Glengarry-Prescott-Russell):

Mr. Speaker, earlier this year the united counties of Prescott-Russell and the municipalities of Clarence Township, Cambridge Township, North and South Plantagenets, Plantagenet Village, and the Town of Rockland signed resolutions asking that the National Capital Region be enlarged to include their own municipalities.

After Question Period I intend to move in the House of Commons a Private Member's Bill to enlarge the National Capital Region to give that privilege to residents of the constituency that I have the honour and privilege to represent. I hope to have the support of all Hon. Members in this House so this Bill can be enacted as soon as possible.

December 21, 1988