January 29, 1958 (23rd Parliament, 1st Session)

Mr. Kirk:

I thank you again for your ruling, not only for your ruling but the very kind way in which you made it. I only had one other main topic that I wished to mention, but in deference to your ruling I shall, of course, not do so. However, I am wondering whether one of the reasons I may have gone as far afield as I have on second reading is the fact that for the last few weeks I have done quite a bit of reading of speeches made by the Minister of Finance when he sat on this side of the house.
May I close by saying that we in the Atlantic provinces quite frankly appreciate this move and quite frankly say that we think it is a step in the right direction. We think it will be of help. We realize that so far as the $25 million is concerned, of which $7| million will go to my own province of Nova Scotia, it is for a period of four years and therefore is an interim deficiency payment. Nevertheless we believe it is a move in the right direction and will increase the incomes of the governments of each of the four provinces. It will enable them to carry on certain projects which they have started and others which they feel they must start.
Having said that, however, I must say in all fairness that when the announcement was made the premier of my own province, Premier Stanfield, as reported in the press only a day or two ago, said that while this measure would help it was not nearly enough, and would not provide for doing nearly as much as they had hoped would be done for
Dominion-Provincial Relations the benefit of Nova Scotia. Without mentioning again any of the specific items I mentioned earlier I say that much as this will be of help, if the government would take bolder and more imaginative action they would assist not only the Atlantic provinces but all the provinces of Canada. I do not mean by increasing substantially and directly the incomes of the provincial governments, but by taking such action as would increase the per capita income of the individuals in each of the provinces, and thus in turn improving the income not only of the provinces but of the federal government.