1974-02-27

OFFICIAL REPORT

[Stage Direction]
SECOND SESSION-TWENTY-NINTH PARLIAMENT 23 Elizabeth II

[Stage Direction]
Published under the authority of the Speaker of the House of Commons by the Queen's Printer for Canada Available from Information Canada, Ottawa, Canada
27398-U
[Stage Direction]
Wednesday, February 27, 1974

[Stage Direction]
The Parliament which had been prorogued on the twenty-sixth day of February, 1974, met this day at Ottawa for the dispatch of business.

Mr. Speaker read a communication from the Secretary to the Governor General, announcing that His Excellency the Governor General would proceed to the Senate chamber at 10.40 a.m. on this day for the purpose of formally opening the second session of the twenty-ninth Parliament of Canada.
A message was delivered by Major A. G. Vandelac, Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod, as follows:
Mr. Speaker, His Excellency the Governor General desires the immediate attendance of this honourable House in the chamber of the honourable the Senate.
Accordingly, Mr. Speaker with the House went up to the Senate chamber.
And the House being returned to the Commons chamber:

Right Hon. P. E. Trudeau (Prime Minister) moved: for leave to introduce Bill C-l, respecting the administration of oaths of office.
Motion agreed to and bill read the first time.


SPEECH FROM THE THRONE
Mr. Speaker:: I have the honour to inform the House that when the House did attend His Excellency the Governor General this day in the Senate Chamber, His Excellency was pleased to make a speech to both Houses of Parliament. To prevent mistakes, I have obtained a copy, which is as follows:
[French text]
Honourable Members of the Senate,
Members of the House of Commons,
I have the honour to welcome you to the Second Session of the 29th Parliament of Canada.
In addressing you for the first time, I should like to express my feeling of honour at having been chosen Her Majesty's representative in Canada. As I said at the time of my investiture, the office which I have the honour to hold has a continuous history of three and a half centuries. I am anticipating with pleasure the opportunity to travel in Canada and to meet citizens from all walks of life.
We look forward to the visit of Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, for whom all Canadians have a great affection. She will be in Canada from June 25th to June 30th to present new colours to the Toronto Scottish and to the Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada; Her Majesty is Colonel-in-Chief of both regiments.
[English text]
I speak to you at a time of serious disturbance in the international economic situation, arising from problems of supply and price of certain commodities, particularly oil.
Most countries, developed and developing, witnessed significant economic expansion in 1973. The economic prospects for 1974 seemed, until recently, no less encouraging. The reduction of the amount of oil exported by some of the major producing countries and the increase in price has brought a sudden and dramatic change in this situation.
For the developing countries of the world, the increased cost of oil has in many cases wiped out the small margins on which they depended for economic development and better means to support their growing populations. For the industrialized countries, of which Canada is one of the few close to being self-reliant in oil and energy generally, it means that many of them will incur large balance of payments deficits and will have to find means of financing them. For the world as a whole, it could mean an over-all reduction in demand with a consequent depressing effect on economic activity.
The Government attaches the highest importance to solving these problems through concerted international action and co-ordination of national policies. The meeting of the major oil importing countries was a first step in this direction. It will be followed by meetings with the oil producing states and the developing countries. The United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and other international organizations will also become actively involved.
In working toward a solution of these international economic problems the major consuming countries must recognize the legitimate aspirations of all the producing countries to utilize their resources to assist in their own national economic development. But the developed world, as well as the resource-rich countries of the developing world, must also take increasingly vigorous steps to reduce disparities between themselves and the less developed and less fortunate nations.
[French text]
While the developments affecting the supply and price of oil are in part the product of special circumstances, the underlying situation thus set in relief is much more general. Food prices have risen sharply as a result of the growth of world population on which has been superimposed serious crop failures in a number of countries. The prices of other internationally-traded commodities have also increased following the simultaneous upsurge in economic activity in all industrialized countries. The increases in the food and commodity sectors have moreover, led to increases in other prices producing generalized inflationary pressures.
No country has been immune from the increase in prices experienced in 1973 and which is continuing in 1974. The phenomenon is worldwide, not an isolated one affecting this or that country alone.
All countries, including Canada, have rejected a deliberately planned slowdown in economic activity as a means to fight inflation. Some

February 27, 1974
Speech from, the Throne
have turned to income and price controls. These attempts have on the whole not been successful.
The Canadian economy, perhaps more than any other, is closely tied to international trade and markets. The principal inflationary pressures have come from outside the country. It would have been singularly inappropriate under such conditions to have resorted to general income and price controls and the Government rejected them for these reasons.
A principal responsibility of the Government and one of its main policy objectives is to maintain high levels of income, production and employment. This policy should in itself help to overcome some of the supply problems which are causing prices to rise. But in addition, and more immediately, the Government's policy in dealing with inflation will be to step in, as it has done in the past, and take specific measures to increase the supply of certain goods and services, to protect those who are not able to protect themselves against the effects of inflation, to cushion consumers against sudden and disruptive price increases of essential commodities, and to prevent any group or groups from taking undue advantage of the current situation at the expense of others.
[English text]
In the case of oil, the Government has been concerned about the individual hardships caused by the rise in prices and about the over-all effect of the increase on the economy. Nonetheless, for Canada to become self-reliant and be protected against abrupt changes in supply, prices must be such as to encourage the exploration and development of non-conventional and frontier oil resources. The Government must ensure that a sufficient part of the funds generated by higher prices will be used for such exploration and development. It will introduce legislation to create a national petroleum company which will assure greater Canadian presence and participation in these and other activities. It has announced the extension of the pipeline from the western oil fields to Eastern Canada and the establishment of a single Canadian market which will guarantee an outlet for domestically-produced oil.
In furthering these longer-term objectives, the Government has a duty to manage the economy in the interests of all Canadians, and in particular to moderate the inflationary effects resulting from the oil crisis. It has sought, in co-operation with the provinces, to make sure that the difficult transition to higher oil and energy costs occurs in an orderly way so as to not cause unnecessary disruptions in economic activity, employment and prices. To this end, it must ensure that the price of domestically-produced oil does not increase at an unreasonable rate and that the price of oil be the same in all parts of Canada subject, of course, to transportation costs. Legislation will be introduced to ensure that the responsibilities of the Government in these respects can be effectively discharged.
Discussion with the provinces on the Government's objectives and on the best means of achieving them is continuing. The Government will make every effort to reach agreement on arrangements that will discharge its responsibilities in a way that is fair to the provinces where the main sources of the oil and gas are located as well as to consumers in the country as a whole.
[French text]
At the same time as there is increasing concern about shortages in the supply of energy, it is apparent there is an inadequate supply of food in many parts of the world. In some countries the situation has reached critical proportions. In Canada there have not been such serious shortages but international market pressures have forced our food prices upwards. It is clear that this country's production must be increased. The Government is developing a policy on food based on the following objectives:
-an adequate and dependable supply of quality food for a growing population in Canada enjoying a rising standard of living;
-reasonable food prices:
-for the consumer, in not requiring an undue proportion of income for Canadians to secure a sufficient and balanced diet,
-for the producer, in providing a return adequate to encourage production of food items which can be economically and efficiently produced in Canada;
-a continuing supply and increasing production of those food products in which Canada has a competitive advantage for export to 
commercial markets and also for a contribution to international food aid programs.
The Government's objectives will guide a re-assessment of existing programs in the areas of agriculture and fisheries. The Government will wish to consult with provincial governments, consumer groups and producers.
The producer must be ensured a fair income for his work. His confidence in long-term market opportunities is an essential element in the Government's policy. The producer should have access to all markets in Canada. He will also be encouraged to expand food exports.
The consumer must be ensured a fair value from his dollar. He must be protected against disruptive increases in the price of essential foodstuffs caused by international market demand. Guarantees against unduly low prices to producers must be coupled with guarantees against unduly high prices to consumers.
[English text]
In the long term the continuity of domestic supply must take into account optimum over-all land use in Canada and especially the trend to diversion of productive land for non-agricultural purposes. The Government intends to enter into discussions with the provinces since they are vitally involved in this question.
As positive steps in the achievement of adequate supplies of food at a reasonable cost, measures directed in the main at increasing food production will be laid before you in the following areas:
-guaranteed loans and other forms of assistance to both farmers and fishermen to assist them in purchasing or modernizing their equipment;
-amendments to the Export and Import Permits Act to provide the Government with better means to stabilize the Canadian market;
-improving the availability of manpower for food production;
-assistance in the construction of new storage facilities;
-research to make it possible to increase production, improve quality, and lower costs;
-improvements in harbour facilities for fishing fleets;
-incentives to increase Canada's catch of unexploited stocks of fish; -advance payments on crops to assure producers of timely cash receipts;
-an agricultural stabilization plan to encourage rational production decisions;
-assistance to young farmers to provide sufficient financial incentives for them to establish themselves in farming;
-better veterinary training facilities;
-a prairie grain market insurance plan;
-improvements in Canadian grain rail transportation capabilities;
-increased availability of reasonably priced feed grains;
-incentives to increase the production of livestock necessary to provide for Canadian and export markets.
As part of the Government's economic management, a major element in the policy to mitigate inflation is to increase production and supply: many measures have been indicated with respect to energy and food. Of course, Canadians must strengthen their economy in other ways to expand employment opportunities and achieve a greater degree of control over their economic affairs.
Measures will be proposed to aid small businesses, both financially and by providing better counselling services by the creation of a Federal Business Development Bank. Steps will be taken to ensure further processing of resources in Canada. The Government will encourage the development of the petrochemical industry based on the upgrading of Canadian resources and better access to world markets. Amendments will be proposed to the Bank Act in order to permit provinces to participate in the ownership of banks. An amendment to the Export Development Act will be introduced to encourage further expansion of Canada's foreign trade. Proposals will be made to ensure Canadian control of the computer communications field. Amendments to the Combines Investigation Act, directed at encouraging competition, will be put before you.
February 27, 1974

[French text]
The development and use of technology is also essential to the Government's approach to increasing national economic production. Steps will be taken to obtain greater returns from industrial research and development as well as technological innovation in Canada.
Scientific knowledge and its application is a keystone to meeting the challenges facing Canada, including those in the areas of food, energy or industrial development. The objective of the Government's science policy is the rational generation and acquisition of scientific knowledge and the planned use of science and technology in support of national goals. The Ministry of State for Science and Technology will be developing national science objectives as a basis for exercising enhanced advisory and co-ordinating authority within the Government. Two new granting councils will be formed, one for social sciences and humanities and the other for natural sciences.
[English text]
The Government attaches great importance to regional development. Many of the measures to be introduced during this session were discussed at the Western Economic Opportunities Conference, and will be of benefit to all areas of Canada. Transportation in particular is a key factor in regional development. A number of measures will be taken in the larger context of ensuring that Canada's transportation capability supports the Government's national goals and is safe and efficient. Steps will be taken to end any discrimination in freight rates. A new ports policy will be developed to ensure an effective and comprehensive port structure in Canada in a framework where a high degree of local involvement in management and improvement of ports can be established.
Other measures will be taken to increase production and employment through providing workers with improved access to available jobs, and employers with improved access to Canada's manpower. These steps will relate employment policy, immigration policy and the activities of the Unemployment Insurance Commission. The Government will be working together with the provinces in developing a community employment policy in a social security context for those Canadians who have particular and continuing difficulty in getting and keeping employment. Amendments will be introduced to the Unemployment Insurance Act as a part of a comprehensive review of the plan undertaken in the light of the experience of the last few years.
In the domain of social policy the Government is playing a vital role to achieve a more balanced pattern of urban growth and to increase the quality of life in our cities in co-operation with the provinces and municipalities. Improved means of public transportation are indispensable to the achievement of these urban goals. Measures will be introduced to establish a National Urban Transportation Development Corporation to co-ordinate and market the development of required new technology in this field. You will be asked to consider measures to assist provinces and cities in the relocation of railway lines and terminals and in the redevelopment of these areas for purposes that will enhance the environment of many of our cities and towns.
Provision of adequate shelter at reasonable prices in a satisfactory neighbourhood environment has been a continuing concern of the Government, and levels of funding to meet this objective are being reviewed. Substantial assistance to rural and native housing programs will also be proposed. The sewage assistance program will be revised to make it more effective as a means to increase the supply of serviced land. The Government will introduce measures to increase the protection available to consumers in the housing market.
[French text]
The Government has taken many measures to improve the status of women in Canada since the Report of the Royal Commission on the Status of Women. Amendments to the statutes of Canada will be placed before you for the purpose of providing equal treatment for women. The legislation to be introduced creating a Federal Commission on Human Rights and Interests will include provisions to protect women from discriminatory practices. Regulations governing government employees will be amended to remove all possible inequities based on sex. Crown corporations will be asked to undertake positive action to encourage the assignment and advancement of more women into responsible positions within their administration. The Government's objective is to create a society free from discrimination.
List of Legislation
The federal and provincial governments have agreed that the Canada and Quebec Pension Plans should be further amended to provide for increases, beyond 1975, in the levels of income upon which contributions may be made, and in the pensions which will be paid. Legislation will be introduced to remove the earnings test now required for people aged 65 to 69 from the Canada Pension Plan. Finally, federal and provincial ministers have agreed that the provisions which now accord differential treatment to men and women under the Canada and Quebec Pension Plans should be removed.
You will be asked to consider other legislative proposals.
[English text]
Members of the House of Commons,
The Government intends to present a budget in this session.
You will be asked to appropriate the funds required to carry on the services and expenditures authorized by Parliament.
Honourable Members of the Senate,
Members of the House of Commons,
May Divine Providence guide you in your deliberations.


Pierre Elliott Trudeau: That the speech of His Excellency the Governor General delivered this day from the throne to the two houses of parliament, be taken into consideration later today.


[Stage Direction]
Motion agreed to.
Pierre Elliott Trudeau: Mr. Speaker, I request leave of the House to table a list of the titles of some of the measures which the government proposes to place before parliament during this session. I would ask, Mr. Speaker, that this list be printed in today's Hansard.


Mr. Speaker:: Is this agreed?


Some hon. Members:: Agreed.
[Editor's Note: The list referred to above follows.]
1.	Legislation establishing a National Petroleum Corporation.
2.	Other measures as required relating to oil.
3.	Legislation on Cash Advance Payments on Crops.
4.	A Bill to amend the Prairie Grain Advance Payments Act.
5.	A Bill to amend the Agricultural Stabilization Act.
6.	The Grain Market Insurance (Prairie) Act.
7.	A Bill to amend the legislation regarding Guaranteed Loans Programs (Fisheries Improvement Loans Act, Farm Improvement Loans Act, Small Businesses Loans Act).
8.	A Bill to amend the Export and Import Permits Act.
9.	A Bill to amend the Farm Credit Act.
10.	A Bill to amend the Fisheries Act.
11.	A Bill to amend the Fisheries Development Act.
12.	A Bill to amend the Unemployment Insurance Act, 1971.
13.	A Bill to amend the Railway Act.
14.	A Bill to amend the Bank Act.
15.	The Federal Business Development Bank Act.
16.	A Bill to amend the Export Development Act.

February 27, 1974
Internal Economy Commission
17.	Legislation regarding the Organization of the Federal Government's Scientific Activities.
18.	The Railway Relocation and Crossing Act.
19.	A Bill to amend the National Housing Act.
20.	Legislation regarding the Status of Women.
21.	Legislation establishing a Federal Commission on Human Rights and Interests.
22.	A Bill to amend the Canada Pension Plan Act.
23.	A Bill to amend the National Parks Act.
24.	The Aircraft Registry Act.
25.	The CNR Financing and Guarantee Act, 1973.
26.	The Canada Business Corporations Act.
27.	The Maritime Code (Part I and II).
28.	A Bill to amend the Combines Investigation Act.
29.	The Environmental Contaminants Act.
30.	A Bill to amend the Yukon Act and the Northwest Territories Act.
31.	The Motor Vehicle Tire Safety Act.
32.	The National Anthem Act.
33.	Legislation regarding National Communications (Part I).
34.	The Bankruptcy Act, 1974.
35.	A Bill to amend the Customs Tariff.
36.	A Bill to amend the War Veterans Allowance Act.
37.	A Bill to amend the Interest Act.
38.	Legislation regarding Uranium and Thorium.
39.	Ocean Dumping Legislation.
40.	A Bill to amend the Criminal Code.
41.	A Bill to amend the Supreme Court Act.
42.	A Bill to amend the Canadian Wheat Board Act.
43.	A Bill to amend the Food and Drugs Act.
44.	A Bill to amend the Canada Assistance Plan Act.
45.	Legislation regarding the Control of the Export of Works of Art.
46.	Legislation to replace the Juvenile Delinquents Act.


INTERNAL ECONOMY COMMISSION
[Stage Direction]
Right Hon. P. E. Trudeau (Prime Minister) presented the following message from His Excellency the Governor General:
His Excellency the Governor General transmits to the House of Commons a certified copy of an Order in Council appointing the Honourable Allan Joseph MacEachen, President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada, the Honourable Charles Mills Drury, President of the Treasury Board, the Honourable Jean Chretien, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, and the Honourable Donald Stovel Macdonald, Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources, to act with the Speaker of the House of Commons as commissioners for the purposes and under the provisions of chapter H-9 of the Revised Statutes of Canada, 1970, entituled: An Act respecting the House of Commons.

Pierre Elliott Trudeau: Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by Mr. MacEachen (Cape Breton Highlands-Canso):
That Gerald Laniel, Esq., member for the electoral district of Beau-harnois-Salaberry, be appointed Deputy Chairman of Committees of the Whole House.


[Stage Direction]
Motion agreed to.

Pierre Elliott Trudeau: Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by Mr. MacEachen (Cape Breton Highlands-Canso):
That Prosper Boulanger, Esq., member for the electoral district of Mercier, be appointed Assistant Deputy Chairman of Committees of the Whole House.


[Stage Direction]
Motion agreed to.

Pierre Elliott Trudeau: Mr. Speaker, I suggest that the sitting be suspended until two o'clock this afternoon.


Mr. Speaker:: The House has heard the suggestion made by the right hon. the Prime Minister. Is it agreed?


Some hon. Members:: Agreed.


Mr. Speaker:: I now leave the chair and the House will resume the sitting at two o'clock this afternoon.
At 11:58 a.m. the sitting of the House was suspended until 2 p.m.


SITTING RESUMED The House resumed at 2 p.m.
[Stage Direction]


[Stage Direction]
The House proceeded to the consideration of the speech delivered by His Excellency the Governor General at the opening of the session.
Mr. Peter Stollery (Spadina):: Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the hon. member for Sherbrooke (Mr. Pelle-
February 27, 1974

tier), that the following address be presented to His Excellency the Governor General of Canada:
To His Excellency the Right Hon. Jules Leger, Chancellor and Principal Companion of the Order of Canada, Chancellor and Commander of the Order of Military Merit, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada.
May it please Your Excellency:
We, Her Majesty's most loyal and dutiful subjects, the House of Commons of Canada, in parliament assembled, beg leave to offer our humble thanks to Your Excellency for the gracious speech which Your Excellency has addressed to both Houses of Parliament.
My first privilege as mover of the Speech from the Throne is to take this opportunity not only to extend the thanks of this House to His Excellency the Governor General but also to take this opportunity to congratulate him upon his appointment and wish him well as he begins his vice-regal duties.


Some hon. Members:: Hear, hear!


Peter A. Stollery: Mr. Speaker, it is also appropriate to wish Madame Leger well in her new duties, so important to the success of this office.


Some hon. Members:: Hear, hear!


Peter A. Stollery: Canada is fortunate to have in our viceregal couple two people who have spent most of their adult lives in the honoured service of our country and who bring the experience and enlightenment of many years spent in a variety of often difficult and sensitive diplomatic postings abroad. I am sure that I express the feelings of all members of this House in wishing them well.

May I also be allowed, Mr. Speaker, to express my gratitude and, I am sure, that of all Canadians, to Mr. and Mrs. Michener for the dash with which they revived those traditions it behoves the Governor General of Canada and his wife to personify.
I am sure I speak on behalf of all the hon. members in expressing my thanks to two very likeable Canadians for a job well done. May they now enjoy many years filled with joy and serenity, assured that they will always be dear to the hearts of all Canadians.

Mr. Speaker, when the Prime Minister (Mr. Trudeau) selected me to do this job of moving the address in reply to the Speech from the Throne, I was in central America.


An hon. Member:: Where was he?


Peter A. Stollery: He was in his office in Ottawa.


Some hon. Members:: Oh, oh!


Peter A. Stollery: If hon. members would listen for a moment, they might learn something. Often when I want a fresh look at things I like to go out and think a little bit, as we all do once in a while. I get my bike out and pedal off to see if the old stamina is still there. And it is. I often do it to take a look around, and I would recommend it to some of my hon. friends opposite.
I carry in my saddle-bag a bundle of the latest statistical material relating to the countries I am going through, in
The Address-Mr. Stollery
this instance the countries of the central American common market, so that I have some indication of what I am looking for and what it means. For example, when in the charming country of Guatemala my curiosity leads me along country roads through villages and picturesque countryside, I am aware that one-third of the population lives totally outside of the money economy. I am aware that the average annual income is $350. I am aware that last May, 17 persons were killed when soldiers tried to prevent 1,000 landless peasants from taking possession of the land. For cycling is not just an exercise and sweating around in the hot tropical sun; cycling brings back something that in Canada we have lost because we spend so much of our time in automobiles cut off from the outside. It brings back that perspective that is found only in the art of smelling things; and there is a great deal to smell around here.


Some hon. Members:: Hear, hear!


Peter A. Stollery: You have to smell the fresh manure in the early morning streets from the horses and ponies. I am sure many of us remember that same smell here in Canada many years ago. One better understands the value of Canada's recent $5 million loan to the government of Belize when you smell the urine in the tenements and the raw sewage that flows through every creek and every barrio.
I have found that when travelling in a car or bus you tend to get back in and ride on to some air-conditiftned hotel and very quickly forget some of the realities of the outside world. But on a bicycle you understand a little better, particularly as the tropical day gets hotter and hotter. The rutted, rotten dirt roads mean a great deal more when you choke on the dust as the sugar cane trucks swirl by. I recommend this to some hon. members opposite. Ten or 12 hours a day like that for a few days is very good for the soul.
This, Mr. Speaker, was the environment I was in when I was contacted and given by the Prime Minister this honourable job of moving the address in reply to the throne speech. Of course, it was an honour for me to be selected for this job, but it was an honour that made me reflect, as I grabbed my stuff and headed for home, what a wonderful country Canada is, a country where an average man like myself can become a member of parliament, spend a year and a half in the most interesting work that I can think of in the world and meet some of the finest people in this country, the other members of parliament.


Some hon. Members:: Hear, hear!


Peter A. Stollery: For I do believe that the highest honour to which a Canadian can aspire is that of being elected by his fellow citizens to the House of Commons. But, Mr. Speaker, it is also a heavy responsibility.

It is traditional, Mr. Speaker, in this type of speech to talk about one's constituency. That is well known. As the member for Spadina, I have the good luck to represent one of the most interesting areas in Canada, downtown Toronto. The fact is that Spadina riding is almost synonymous with downtown Toronto. It is difficult even to visit
6

February 27, 1974
The Address-Mr. Stollery
the city of Toronto without visiting my constituency. That is where many of the hotels are, the shopping, a great part of the waterfront and so many of the things that make Toronto a great city. Toronto city hall, in my constituency, is where so many community political decisions have been made in recent years. This is such a liveable city that it is envied by people across North America and by students of city planning around the world.
The name Spadina, as is known to many hon. members and to many Canadians who live far from Toronto, is the name of the defunct Spadina expressway, that landmark which has become synonymous with the questioning of growth and with the questioning of values of city life and the way we in the cities are growing. I was connected with that issue and in fact it was one of the things that led to my involvement in politics and my own personal decision that if one is going to have strong opinions on issues, the only choice is to become involved in politics in this country.


Some hon. Members:: Hear, hear!


Peter A. Stollery: Spadina is a famous immigrant riding as well, different from nearly all the other immigrant ridings in this country such as those represented by my colleagues, the hon. member for Parkdale (Mr. Haidasz), the hon. member for Davenport (Mr. Caccia), the hon. member for York Centre (Mr. Walker), the hon. member for York West (Mr. Fleming), the hon. member for Saint-Michel (Miss Begin), the hon. member for Saint-Denis (Mr. Prud'homme), the hon. member for Montreal-Bourassa (Mr. Trudel) and the hon. member for Vancouver Centre (Mr. Basford). Spadina is unique because it is a receiving area for immigrants. For over 100 years people have been coming into the riding in waves: first from England, the people who gave the name to Kensington market which the Prime Minister visited a couple of years ago, then people from central Europe at the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century, and more recently it has become the home of many thousand Portuguese and Chinese. The last census registered 33 languages in this constituency.
However, the unique factor is that the people tend to come into the area, spend their first years in Canada there, and then as they adapt to Canada they tend to move on. It has probably the lowest citizenship rate of any riding in the country. It is common knowledge that this is one of the reasons Spadina, with a population of some 90,000, has only about 27,000 voters, one of the eighth or ninth smallest voting populations in Canada. Curiously enough, many of these voters are not immigrants. In fact, in the riding I represent is located the largest apartment shopping complex in the world, with 1,000 people in one building.
I have always been interested in Canada's immigrant policies, even before I became a member representing an area which has this traditional involvement with immigrants. It has been my personal belief, reinforced by my travels to more than 100 countries in the world, that a country is made better by the influx of many people from cosmopolitan backgrounds who bring with them new ways of life to refresh the culture and the social environment.

All these things make us better people, more conscious of the wider world around us.


Some hon. Members:: Hear, hear!


Peter A. Stollery: It is common knowledge that our Prime Minister enjoys a great deal of prestige outside Canada as well as in Canada. I should like to take a moment at this point to congratulate the Prime Minister on his successful intervention with Russian authorities on behalf of Mr. Eugene Lenko in Kiev.

During the adjournment, a few weeks ago, the world has witnessed an example of repression when Soljenitsyn was dispossessed of his Soviet citizenship and sent into exile. I am sure several of us hope that the government of that great nation which is the U.S.S.R., will some day liberalize its policy with respect to human rights and allow its subjects a greater freedom of expression.

Many of us must hope there will be more instances where the Soviet government will release members of families of Canadians who live in the Soviet Union, and that the sort of thing done in respect of Mr. Lenko can be done more often. Again I congratulate the Prime Minister.
It seems to me that in the Speech from the Throne which we have received from the Governor General there are three main themes, three important concerns of all Canadians-the supply of energy, the supply of food, and economic opportunities for the west.


Some hon. Members:: Hear, hear!


Peter A. Stollery: Here in Canada we have a unique energy situation, one that is more complex than in almost any other country.


An hon. Member:: Why?


Peter A. Stollery: If you will listen for a minute, you might find out. In other countries of the world the energy situation is simple; either you are a consuming, energy-short nation or you are an oil exporting nation. Canada is both a consuming and a producing nation. This situation requires from the government of Canada policies which are quite different from any other country in the world. The announcement in the throne speech of an international petroleum company to assure greater Canadian presence, participation in and control of the petroleum industry is an important statement. We Canadians have been fortunate, and just how fortunate had not occurred to me until I was in central America.


Some hon. Members:: Oh, oh!


Peter A. Stollery: As many members will know, the countries of the central American common market have a close economic connection with Florida. The usual things for a traveller to read to get his news, in addition to the local Spanish newspapers and El Nacional, the Mexican newspaper, are the English papers from Miami. It brings the seriousness of the situation very much closer when you read a newspaper which says the local gas stations are only open two or three hours a day, and that cars with odd

numbers on their licence plates can get gas on odd dates and cars with even-numbered licence plates can get gas on even dates. Imagine a situation in which it becomes newspaper headlines that the state of Florida is getting an increase in its quota of gasoline, a commodity which is so important to an area dependent upon the tourist industry.
About a week ago last Sunday I visited a small town in Costa Rica with a friend who had a car. To discourage people form using gas on Sundays and to encourage them to use the buses, all the gas pumps had padlocks on them with big official stickers. It occurred to me that we were very, very fortunate in Canada, where this sort of thing has not happened, as I surreptitiously went from gas station to gas station with a plastic pail in an attempt to buy a gallon of gasoline, giving them the story, which was very difficult, that I might become a regular customer.
We have been fortunate in having an energetic minister to handle this complicated situation since it started to develop, and it is with great confidence that I read how the government proposes to continue to expand its policy in order to assure gasoline and other forms of energy to all Canadians at equal prices.


Some hon. Members:: Hear, hear!


Peter A. Stollery: This is a most important issue which will be resolved, and it seems to me that this government has taken and is continuing to take steps to resolve it in a way that will put Canada in probably the best energy position in the industrial world. We have been fortunate in our natural resources and fortunate in having a government that is planning to use these natural resources to the benefit of all Canadians.


Some hon. Members:: Hear, hear!


Peter A. Stollery: It seems to me that world food shortages and energy problems are closely interrelated. Both issues are linked with the commodity situation and are dependent upon international goods and foodstuffs markets. It is therefore particularly timely that this Speech from the Throne should present the provision of reasonable and reliable supplies of foodstuffs at decent prices both for the consumer and the producer as one of the major concerns of this government. The more one reads about the complexity, if not the intricacy, of food markets, about the progressive internationalization of these markets, and the way they elude national legislations, the more one is puzzled by this serious problem.
The price of food in this country has been seriously affected by the fact that the United States dollar has been effectively devalued by approximately 27 per cent since about 1967. That is a truly astonishing reality. The United States dollar has dropped by nearly one-third its value in relation to the currencies of most other countries. For example, it has dropped 36 per cent in the past year compared to the Japanese yen. Unless we should be financiers, most of us do not pay much attention to figures of this type when we see them on the financial page of a newspaper. We might read the Wall Street Journal or scan
The Address-Mr. Stollery
the Globe and Mail financial section, but it requires a grounding in economics for these figures to have meaning to a layman like myself.
Over the past year I acquired a grounding in economics and undoubtedly will attain more in the coming year. Of course, the effective devaluation of 27 per cent in the United States dollar affects the life of every Canadian. When Japanese automotive companies or television companies, German steel companies or whatever, sell goods to the United States, which after all is still by far the largest trading area and consuming market in the world, they are paid in United States dollars. What do they do with those United States dollars? The company or industry is interested in protecting its purchasing power. This is a perfectly legitimate interest which has nothing to do with speculation, although the speculators, who I am sure many governments would like to get, artificially accentuate the situation.
The holding of United States dollars today is no way in which to protect your purchasing power, based on the facts. Who wants money that has been devalued by 27 per cent over the past few years, when one may have to buy iron ore, rubber or copper with it and have to exchange that money in order to pay bills in the money of the country which produces the iron ore, the copper or the rubber?
With the political situation that exists in the United States it would be difficult to have great confidence, in the near future, in the United States dollar. So, of course, companies and industries holding cheapening currencies often invest in the one commodity that always maintains its value-food. They buy food futures and drive the price of, say, soybeans, upward. The price of this commodity normally is about $80 a ton, but now it is from $450 to $600 a ton and it has been as high as $700 a ton. We know this type of activity has existed in respect of oil and gold, driving the price of gold from somewhere in the range of $30 an ounce to $175 an ounce. Of course, this is done in respect of food and prices are driven artifically higher which, as I have said, affects the purchasing power of every Canadian.
The Speech from the Throne explains that the commodity price rise is a worldwide phenomenon and mentions this serious disorder in the international economic situation. In that vein the speech proposes reasonable food prices for the consumer and the producer. As I have said, the value of commodities in some of the producing countries has been wiped out by the increase in the price of petroleum. On the other hand, there are countries such as Malaysia which have had a sudden increase in their wealth because of increased commodity prices and some self-sufficiency in respect of petroleum products.
As Canadians, I think we have the right to be resentful if our prices are artificially manipulated by speculators. On the other hand, in all conscience we cannot object too strongly to paying a fair price for some of the items which we import. We cannot object to an increase in the standard of living of deprived field workers in some tropical countries who earn 20 cents or 50 cents a day. As consumers, we cannot object too strongly to paying fair prices to Canadian food producers so long as we receive fair value.


Some hon. Members:: Hear, hear!
27398-2J

February 27, 1974
The Address-Mr. Stollery


Peter A. Stollery: Mr. Speaker, I have learned a good deal since I became a member of parliament and arrived in this great school for Canadians. Probably the most important thing I have learned has been something of the differences and disparities in this great country of ours. When one reads about regionalism in the newspapers, it does not seem to be very important. However, when one comes to this House of Commons, hears of the various interests represented here covering all areas of Canada and sees the representatives of 265 constituencies in one room, this is a great education to a person as a Canadian.
From Toronto it is a long way to Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Calgary and Vancouver. Last year, when beef prices increased, I prepared a paper for my constituency in the form of a newsletter. I tried to explain some of the difficulties farmers had in producing grain and beef. I think I learned a great deal about the west in the course of discussions with officials of the Department of Agriculture-


Some hon. Members:: Oh, oh!


Peter A. Stollery: -and other members of parliament regarding the complexities of life of the western farmer about which, of course, I was not aware.
Toronto is a consuming and manufacturing area. Several months ago while attending a meeting I was fascinated when listening to a series of speakers on the difficulties related to transportation in western Canada and some of the inequities. Until then I did not understand that decisions which are made in board rooms affect every westerner. The price of manufactured articles, which is decided to a great extent by the cost of transportation, is not as closely controlled by government as it might be. It was made very clear to me that there is something very wrong about the transportation system in this country. All the complaints I have heard in this House have not been merely political complaints but have been related to some very real problems with which we must deal.
For years I have believed that in the national interest, transportation costs should not cause great disparity in any country. Many countries of the world which operate on this precept know that transportation costs are not as important as national unity. When I speak of Canada, I include the Arctic. If we are to encourage development, transportation costs must be subsidized. I note that in the Speech from the Throne there is a clear declaration that steps will be taken to end discrimination in freight rates. I hope this will be well received in western Canada.


Some hon. Members:: Hear, hear!


Peter A. Stollery: Canada's approach to international politics has always been, since the days of the late Lester B. Pearson, admired by the world. I am sure it must come as a pleasure and something of a surprise to learn that we are not just respected because of our diplomatic leadership: Canada nowadays is also respected as a financial power and as an important trading nation in the world. International organizations such as the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development treat Canada with great respect. It is unusual that a country is first a diplomatic

power and second a financial power; usually things are the other way around. But today our percentage of world trade is greater than that of Italy, and in the OECD we are considered in the same group as Britain, Germany and France, the middle industrial powers. Our percentage of world trade in manufactured goods has increased tremendously over the past few years. We are no longer considered to be hewers of wood, and we have not been for some time.
The Minister of Finance (Mr. Turner) should be complimented on his incentives to business which have boosted manufacturing investment to record levels and already have produced many new jobs.


Some hon. Members:: Hear, hear!


Peter A. Stollery: Critics say that we should stop exporting our raw materials and process these materials here in Canada. That is what our policies are aimed at. In fact, in the general area of manufacturing we may be on the threshold of the biggest technological breakthrough in our history if the government of the United Kingdom continues its interest in 18 Canada deuterium-uranium reactors-and it will not matter which government.


Some hon. Members:: Hear, hear!


Peter A. Stollery: The Speech from the Throne mentions our interest in solving the problems of international economic disorder through some of the international organizations, the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, etc. This is in keeping with Canada's international approach over the past decade.
The Speech from the Throne suggests that there will be no price and wage controls. Surely, Mr. Speaker, that policy has proven so bankrupt in the two major countries which have tried it, the United States and the United Kingdom, that we should put it to death for a while.


Some hon. Members:: Hear, hear!


Peter A. Stollery: The United States is facing the worst inflation in its modern history after three years of the Nixon formula. In the United Kingdom, inflation is running at 15 per cent and wage controls have been a disaster to the country. Britain has been socially divided and the controls have been completely ineffective.


Mr. Speaker:: Order, please. I must remind the House and the hon. member for Spadina (Mr. Stollery) in particular that his time has expired, unless he has the consent of the House to proceed. Is it agreed?


Some hon. Members:: Agreed.


Peter A. Stollery: It could almost be said that the wage and price control policy in the United Kingdom has caused more strife than any policy in the recent history of that country.

As it was stated in the Speech from the Throne, controlling prices is quite a difficult proposition, while it is all but too easy to control wages. Hence, controlling prices and wages amounts to controlling wages only, as the British experience has shown.
February 27, 1974



In that country, the hourly-paid worker has been set against society at large, and that can never be a healthy thing for any country. The Canadian government has taken the position that we need policies to protect the working poor, to protect those least able to look after themselves, which is how it should be.
In the last session much was done. The Canada Pension Plan and the Old Age Security Plan have been indexed every three months, and of course family allowances were increased to an average of $20 per child. Certainly all neutral observers take this as the reasonable road to combat inflation, and that is the road this government has taken-not a road which discriminates against one sector of the economy, inevitably the hourly-paid worker, and pits that sector against the rest of the country.
This Speech from the Throne is short and to the point. It covers specific areas to be dealt with by the government. As a Liberal backbencher, I find the point about this Speech from the Throne that is so gratifying is that it reflects to a great extent the views of the Liberal Party members of parliament.


Some hon. Members:: Hear, hear!


Peter A. Stollery: Before I was elected it was a common enough remark that if you were elected as a Liberal, and the Liberal Party formed the government, you as a backbencher were ignored. That is categorically not true. Many government policies put into effect since I have been here have been initiated from within the ranks of the Liberal Party.


Some hon. Members:: Hear, hear!


Peter A. Stollery: They are the result of a great deal of consultation with Canadians from all walks of life, and that is how it should be.


Some hon. Members:: Hear, hear!


Mr. Irenee Pelletier (Sherbrooke):: Mr. Speaker, it is a great honour to be chosen by the Right Hon. Prime Minister of Canada (Mr. Trudeau) and his colleagues of the Cabinet to second the motion for the Address in reply to the Speech from the Throne.
This honour is reflected on the constituency of Sherbrooke and on the entire area of the Eastern Townships. I am convinced, Mr. Speaker, that, regardless of political affiliations, the people whom I have the honour of representing in the House recognize the privilege which is mine today and share this happy moment with me.
This task holds even more interest in view of the fact that the mover of the Address in reply to the Speech from the Throne is one of the young members of parliament who can express themselves admirably in both official languages of our country and who also speaks with great fluency the language of Cervantes. I am talking about the hon. member for Spadina (Mr. Stollery). I congratulate him for giving us such an example of perfect multilingualism.
The Address-Mr. Irenee Pelletier
I also share this pleasant moment with my parents, brothers and sisters in Acadia, because even though I represent a Quebec constituency in the House, I have always been proud, Mr. Speaker, of my native province, New Brunswick, and of the charming village of Saint-Andre de Madawaska, where I was born and spent the best years of my life. I am therefore very proud, Mr. Speaker, of my Acadian origin. Acadians-it is appropriate to note-have written one of the most moving pages of our Canadian history. They are a people who, in spite of the upheavals of history, be they old or new, have always kept the pride of their forebears and have greatly contributed to the economic, social and cultural development of the Maritimes.
For 22 years, a native Canadian has held the important position of chief of State and representative or Her Majesty in Canada. Following in the footsteps of great Canadians like Vincent Massey, Georges Vanier and Roland Mitchener, His Excellency Jules Leger brings to the prestigious position of Governor General of Canada a long experience as a diplomat who, with great ability, distinction and dignity, served Canada abroad for more than two decades. In the name of my constituents and in my own name, I wish His Excellency and Mrs. Jules Leger a happy and fruitful mandate.
Mr. Speaker, it is customary that the mover and seconder of the Address in reply refer to their constituency, its wealth, beauty and characteristics; it is a fine custom. However, I am sure, Mr. Speaker, that my colleagues will not bear me a grudge if I somewhat deviate from the tradition to deal firstly of course with the Sherbrooke constituency and secondly, to make some personal comments on a problem in which I am interested and which concerns an increasing number of people, that is poverty in Canada and throughout the world.
To describe briefly the many attractions of Sherbrooke is almost an impossible task. The third largest centre in Quebec-after of course the metropolitan areas of Montreal and Quebec City-Sherbrooke is often called the Ville Reine des Cantons de l'Est, a city of almost 90,000 inhabitants.
Sherbrooke and the Eastern Townships make up an agglomeration of more than 200,000 inhabitants, an area comprising nine federal constituencies that claim, like Gaspe, Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, the Mauricie and the Laurentians, the title of the most picturesque part of the Beautiful Province.
From a geographic standpoint, the original feature of the Eastern Townships is that they are the only urbanized area in Quebec (between Hull and Quebec City) to be situated outside the axis of the St. Lawrence River. It is a hinterland dominated by Sherbrooke which comprises nearly 60 per cent of the urban population of the area.
In short, Sherbrooke and the Eastern Townships are a town and an area of a rather important size which is endowed with institutions, customs and features of its own; in a word, which has a personality of its own and which makes it different from the other areas of Quebec and Canada.

February 27, 1974
The Address-Mr. Irenee Pelletier
The Sherbrooke constituency is endowed with two institutions of high learning, which is a unique feature in Canada.
Bishop's University, one of the oldest English-speaking institutions in Quebec, is more than a century old. Bishop's University is an institution which has greatly contributed to the educational, economic, social and cultural advancement of the eastern townships and of the province of Quebec.
The University of Sherbrooke is a young university, which after barely 20 years of existence enjoys a most enviable prestige throughout the academic world. The University Medical Centre has gained during recent years the reputation of being one of the most progressive medical centres in Canada. We also have two CEGEPs, Sherbrooke College and Champlain College, as well as several educational institutions. In our region, the tertiary sector is obviously the better organized. All these institutions are greatly responsible for the development of our youth, the most impressive potential for the Eastern Townships. Youth is a considerable force that we endeavour to develop ever more. We realize that the economic, social, and cultural development of a region, province or country must take maximum advantage of the energy, the ent-housiasm and the eagerness of all the elements of society, mostly that of youth; otherwise we deny ourselves a strong momentum which can often spell the difference between failure and success.
For a few years now, Sherbrooke has developed increasingly, through the establishment of an industrial park which has attracted a number of new industries, some of which having received grants from the Department of Regional Economic Expansion. Despite this economic revival, Sherbrooke's secondary sector remains weak. We believe however that in the new agreement between the Quebec government and the federal government regarding areas or regions requiring economic assistance, Sherbrooke and the Eastern Townships will be one of the major priorities.
Sherbrooke is also the seat of an archdiocese, the centennial of which we will be celebrating this year. You are all invited to the celebrations which will be taking place to mark this important event.
Sherbrooke is also an area that is rich in history. Inhabited successively by the Abenaquis, the Loyalists and the French, this region was the birthplace of many great figures in Canadian history. Among the many people who have contributed to the development of Sherbrooke and the Eastern Townships, one must mention Sir Alexander Galt,-

He was the first member of parliament for Sherbrooke, minister of finance in Sir John A. Macdonald's first cabinet and one of the Fathers of Confederation.

-and a no less important figure from our area who was one of the greatest politicians of our times, the Right Hon. Louis St. Laurent.

Sherbrooke and the Eastern Townships, finally, are a city and a region where French Canadians, English Canadians and new Canadians have been living in harmony for two centuries and can, in many respects, be set up as an example in Canada.
Mr. Speaker, the people in Sherbrooke and the Eastern Townships are proud, industrious and hospitable. To know them is to like them, and to learn how to like and appreciate them, there is nothing better than to visit them. [English]
Mr. Speaker, in his inaugural address, the late President John F. Kennedy said:
The world is very different now, for man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life.

Mr. Speaker, when one speaks of the poverty problem in the world, there is no need to dramatize: the problem itself is dramatic enough. The fact that 16 per cent of the world population has 72 per cent of the world income and that 54 per cent of the world population has only 8 per cent of the world wealth gives us at once a fairly good idea of the gap between rich and poor countries.
The great problem of our time ...
-said Nehru,-
... is not the division between communists and capitalists, but between poor and rich countries.
That difference, it should be pointed out, appeared after World War II, when most European economies, ruined by the war, received from the wealthiest country in the world, and at the time surely the most powerful on earth, the United States, $20 billion to build up their economy.
It is only after that rather spectacular recovery of Europe that we actually realized that African, Asiatic and South American countries were far behind the developed countries of Europe and North America.
Considering that developing countries have a yearly economic growth rate of 3.6 to 4.5 per cent, while in developed countries that rate is 5 to 8 per cent, one can readily realize that the gap is widening. Three quarters of the world population are undernourished and that, paradoxically, in spite of excess food productions in certain countries.
It has been said over and over again that food products should be shared more equitably. It is a fact that food-deprived countries are faced with enormous financial difficulties. Industrialization is essential to the advancement of underdeveloped countries. This is possible only through capital investments. But the income of most of these countries results from the sale of raw materials, the prices of which have constantly gone down since 1949 on world markets. These countries which must borrow money are already over the threshold of indebtedness. Subsidies and grants are not enough in themselves to ensure the sound economic progress of these countries.
Mr. Speaker, there is the serious problem of reduction in international assistance, a reduction identified by the OECD and resulting from the difficulties with which the more highly developed countries are faced and which have
February 27, 1974

the tendency to overreact whenever prices on financial markets fall by 1 or 1 Vi per cent.
Perhaps the current energy crisis will give us one more reason to justify the present very slight effort made by most industrialized countries to help the underdeveloped nations. And yet the economic and energy potential of Canada and that of our neighbours to the south at the international level is enormous. Under all forms of energy Canada is currently using the equivalent of eight and a half tons of coal per capita per year. This is twice the consumption of western Europe and U.S.S.R. It is 160 times that of Asia and Africa.
We are among the most advanced and richest countries in the world. Proportionally, we are producing and consuming more than any nation in the world. Proudly and jealously, we are showing off our wealth to the world.
As a highly scientifically, technologically and technically developed country, Canada with a few other privileged nations has a major responsibility towards the international community and refusing it might have catastrophic consequences for the entire world.
Because of the enormous development of communications in most leading countries, it is no longer possible not to know what is going on at the other end of the world. Every day the underprivileged countries are apprised of our actions.
Obviously, we must admit that poverty is not only the most serious problem of this decade but also the most serious of the twentieth century. People are starving in the midst of affluence.
There is no way this problem can be solved through philanthropic solutions. Individual solutions are of no avail. No campaign against starvation calling for people's charity is efficient.
Underdevelopment is a political, economic and social problem that will not be solved without thorough and radical transformations in the economic, social and mental structures of peoples.
If Canada must constantly meet one of the greatest challenges that ever was, that of living close to a giant while keeping its political, economic and cultural identity, along with our American neighbours and a few other privileged nations of the earth, we are faced with the greatest challenge of the century and perhaps of history: helping the Third World escape the vicious circle of underdevelopment. Without being pessimistic, we must recognize that world peace is impossible when two thirds of mankind are starving.
If the often remarkable successes and feats of Canadians at home have helped enormously in making our country one of the most advanced in many fields, it is imperative that Canadians as a nation give particular attention to poorer and less fortunate countries.
Mr. Maurice Strong, former president of the Canadian International Development Agency, in one of his speeches declared:
The Address-Mr. Irenee Pelletier
There are three overriding influences determining our age, one is the space race, one the nuclear arms race and the third, the development race; Canada has no role to play in the first two, but in the one of the developing countries we can be a major power. We know what development means because we have done it here ourselves.

The future of the international community will depend on what rich countries will do to assist the poor ones.
Through rather complicated calculations based on realistic data and time projections, A. P. Thirnall has tried to establish how long Third World countries would take to catch up with the existing per capita income in Common Market countries. The results give food for thought.
In order to equal the existing income in countries of the European Economic Community, Peru would need 359 years, Uganda 356 and Pakistan 1,350. And the per capita income of the Common Market countries is much lower than ours.
Mr. Eppler, Minister of Cooperation of The Federal Republic of Germany, stated recently that the efforts of the rich countries for the economic and social development of poor countries have been so far much too limited and without any follow through and he stated the following:
Aid to the Third World is not a hobby for a few mislead idealists, an indulgence bought to set one's conscience at rest, a compulsory drill for bored politicians, a guarantee of exports for industrialists-but an ambitious attempt to try and make life a little more bearable for all on the "earth" space ship in order to stop it from becoming unbearable for all-an investment for a common future because that future will be common or will not be.
Economic and social development of underdeveloped countries, without being an absolute guarantee for peace in the world, would help considerably to develop greater solidarity and consequently truer international security. On May 29, 1968, the right hon. Prime Minister stated in a speech delivered in this House on the subject of Canada's participation in international co-operation, and I quote:
We accept as a major responsibility of top priority Canada's participation in the program for the economic and social development of developing countries. We will be looking at all possible means to increase the value of our aid programs by concentrating on areas and projects where our bilingualism, our own know-how, and our experience, resources and means make an efficient and truly Canadian contribution possible.
Mr. Speaker, Canada's international effort in recent years increased steadily and I am convinced we must maintain the present progress.
While continuing our efforts towards the economic and social development of our own country we should not forget our responsibilities and duties towards those who share this small planet with us.
On October 4, 1965, before the General Assembly of the United Nations His Holiness Pope Paul VI after stating that development was the new name for peace and modern technology could contribute considerably to the solution of some of our most serious problems, concluded his statement in the following manner:

Now the hour for a halt is upon us, a moment of meditation, of reflection, almost of prayer; a moment to think anew of our common origin, our history, our common destiny. Never before has there been such a need for an appeal to the moral conscience of man as there is today, in an era marked by such human progress. For the peril comes

February 27, 1974
The Address-Mr. Irenee Pelletier
neither from progress nor from science; on the contrary, properly used, they could resolve many of the great problems which beset mankind. The real peril is in man who has at hand ever more powerful instruments, suited as much to destruction as to the highest conquests.

Mr. Speaker, there are also poor people in Canada. There are poor people in each and every wealthy country. As a matter of fact, this may sound somewhat paradoxical, but no nation in the world, however developed it may be, has yet succeeded in eliminating the problem of poverty.
The task that the Canadian government undertook, namely to reduce poverty as much as possible, is an extremely difficult one. In 1966, President Johnson undertook to fight poverty and had a special budget prepared with a view to eliminating it within ten years. Those ten years are almost over and the fate of the poor, according to a recent survey, shows that their position is worse than before.
Economist Leon Keyserling, with whom John Kenneth Galbraith and Sargent Schriver had established the famous Freedom Budget in 1966, said recently, and I quote:

Manifestly, poverty is not a problem of economic costs.
Here in the United States, it is a problem of not having the political and the social and the moral will to place poverty high on the priority list-

And a little further, the economist said, and I quote; [English]
Here in this country, where there can be no economic, nor technological excuse for it, poverty is not only a private tragedy but in a sense a public crime. It is above all a challenge to our morality. Materially as well as spiritually, a society afflicted by poverty deprives all of its citizens of security and well-being.

Mr. Speaker, the wealthiest country in the world, spending huge amounts, did not succeed in eliminating poverty. If rich countries endeavour to solve at home the problem of poverty, obviously governments must make increased efforts in order to close as much as possible the gap between the rich and the poor.
It has to be noted that Canada acts as a pioneer in this field. Canada is the only country in the world that set up a department whose primary objective is to alleviate as much as possible the disparities that exist between the richer and the poorer regions.
One must also emphasize the fact that Canada is the only country that has, in the past few years, substantially increased and continuously readjusted pensions, allowances and income supplements paid to the most disadvantaged people in the society, that is to say large families, older people, war veterans, etc.
If one of the great principles that has guided the government has been a fairer distribution among the various areas of our country, it is only normal that this should be reflected at the individual level by better living conditions. Incidentally, it should be pointed out that some tax cuts were granted for the benefit of low income families and individuals.
Mr. Speaker, I have the clear impression that we are at a turning point in our history and that every Canadian must

realize that the elimination of poverty is one of the worthiest and noblest objectives of any government.
The speech from the throne that will be before us in the next days is well in line with the position of the Canadian government; to eliminate practically all poverty in our country.
The Speech from the Throne announces measures directed at aiding producers and consumers alike, at providing for special assistance to small businesses, at ensuring further processing of raw materials in this country. Greater emphasis will be laid on regional economic expansion and on upgrading the quality of life in urban centres. Measures will be introduced for increasing expenses in the research, industrial progress and technical innovation fields. There are, of course, assistance programs for the farmers; all in all, the aim is to achieve a better distribution of our resources. All these, Mr. Speaker, are concrete measures which reflect the effort of this government to reduce the gap between developed and less developed areas of our country, between the wealthy and the poor.
The time has come for all Canadians, without exception, to do whatever they can to suppress poverty. It is high time, Mr. Speaker, besides, of course, the measures that may be introduced by the federal and provincial governments, that the wealthy people in Toronto help those less fortunate in Moncton. That people in Vancouver help people in Saskatoon. That people in Halifax help people in Rimouski and that people in Montreal help people in Prince Edward Island.

In his inaugural address, President Kennedy said;
If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.

Nature has not distributed its riches evenly in all areas of the world and yesterday's rich could be tomorrow's poor.
There was a time in the history of Canada when New Brunswick was the most prosperous province. There was also a time in the history of our country when Quebec was considered the most progressive area. Yesterday, it was Ontario, today it is Alberta and British Columbia. Tomorrow, perhaps it will be Newfoundland, Yukon and the Northwest Territories.
For more than a century, England has dominated the world on the commercial, economic and financial levels. Such was the case in other periods for France, Spain and Russia.
Two world slaughters which cost humanity 50 million human lives, some minor monetary crisis, a minor energy crisis were sufficient to make powers of yesterday experience enormous difficulties from which they may not be able to get out without the help of their friends and their neighbours.
If, on the international level, we want to reduce disparities between rich and poor by further sharing the riches of the earth, the same principle will obviously apply first to every country.
Technology enables us to believe that within a few decades sea resources will perhaps constitute the most
February 27, 1974

important riches of a State. Thus, Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island may well become enormous supply sources for Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta.
At the rate industrialized countries are polluting our planet, drinking water will perhaps become the object of the greatest demand in Canada. In that case, Quebec could become the main supply source of drinking water for several Canadian provinces.
If, as provinces and as individuals, we share our wealth and resources, we will alleviate the disparities that now exist in several areas of the country and, at the same time, we will contribute to relieve the social pressures often aroused by poverty. Because of the poverty which exists in the world and in Canada, it is the duty not only of nations
The Address-Mr. Irenee Pelletier and governments but of every man to assume its responsibilities.
To be a man .. .
-Saint-Exupery said-
... is precisely to be responsible; it is to feel ashamed before a hardship that did not seem to be in your control; it is to be proud of a victory that your friends have gained; it is to feel, when laying a stone, that you are contributing to build the WORLD.
Mr. Speaker, on behalf of my constituents I wish to express, once more to the right hon. Prime Minister, my gratitude for this privilege and I am happy to second the Address in reply to the Speech from the Throne.

On motion of Mr. Stanfield the debate was adjourned.
On motion of Mr. MacEachen the House adjourned at 3.20 p.m.

Thursday, February 28, 1974