Hon. Tom Hockin (Minister for Science and Minister of State (Small Business and Tourism)):

Mr. Speaker, an agreement could .not be reached under the provisions of Standing Order 78(1) or (2) with respect to report stage and third reading of Bill C-62, an act respecting telecommunications.

Therefore, under the provisions of Standing Order 78(3), I wish to give notice of my intention to move a time allocation motion at the next sitting of the House for the purpose of allocating a specified number of days or hours for the consideration and disposal of proceedings at the said stages.

Hon. Tom Hockin (Minister for Science and Minister of State (Small Businesses and Tourism)):

Madam Speaker, the hon. member knows this money is part of the insurance proceeds which the federal government received as a result of this tragedy.

The money is in the Consolidated Revenue Fund. Members of this House can speak in Parliament and raise ideas about how the money should be spent.

The hon. member raises an interesting suggestion but he must know that responsibility for this should be shared broadly and not just by the federal government which did its bit by giving a loan to make the project which would create 200 or 300 jobs in Pictou county possible.

Mr. Hockin:

No increase in taxes.

Government Orders

Hon. Tom Hockin (for the Minister of Industry, Science and Technology) moved

that the bill be read the third time and passed.

Hon. Tom Hockin (Minister for Science and Minister of State (Small Businesses and Tourism)):

Madam Speaker, my hon. friend is taking licence with what the head of the NRC said the other day. He did not use the word decimate. He did not use any of the verbs the hon. member has just used. This government has cut back grants and contributions and cross-government programs 10 per cent here, 15 per cent there, sometimes even more in some operating programs.

When it comes to science those levels of cutbacks have not happened. In fact the cutbacks have not occurred. We are going to have more than zero per cent growth in contributions. They are going to be 1.5 per cent in the coming year.

This shows there is a preference in this government for helping research and development, for helping science and technology, plus the IRAP announcement which is an important part of the National Research Council.

Eighty-three million new dollars will go to the NRC to administer the IRAP for the next five years. This is an immense increase. Instead of having 225 officers in the field bringing discoveries in the laboratory to industry and to commercial prospect we will now have 300.

These are things the government has done in a time of restraint. They underline far better than any rhetoric the commitment of the government to science and technology-