Earlier today the Reform Party took the first step by outlining the national Reform agenda for Canadians. From the day we arrived in Ottawa, Reform has acted as the de facto official opposition, but the Liberals' continued silence on important national issues has convinced us we have to act as the de facto government as well. As Canadians will see, that is the role we are prepared to play. Mr. Speaker, yesterday CN laid off 266 people at the CN shops in my riding. How hollow the 1993 promises of the Liberals now ring about jobs and preserving Winnipeg as a rail centre.
Workers are being let go to improve the books for privatization purposes.
The government now says it will not be trying to sell CN until after the referendum. Where I come from, we still say there is no need to sell it at all. I can tell you what else is being said, Mr. Speaker. People wonder why Montreal is being guaranteed the headquarters of a privatized CN when all we seem to be guaranteed in Winnipeg is 14715 more and more layoffs. In their view, CN headquarters should be in western Canada, where most of the traffic is.