Thursday, May 18, 1967 of this end of Canada . We don't have to remind the people who hold the views of Gordon Sinclair that there are two million Canadians living* east of the Quebec bridge, and that this is a substantial percentage of the Canadian population. We dont have to remind them that things have not been as good down here in the East as they could have been. The television program, Front Page Challenge was referred to by the Leader of the Opposition, and I think that Mr. Gordon Sinclair chose a very appropriate example when he endeavoured to say that we had it all right down here. He suggested, for example, that because we had four members of parliament from Prince Edward Island : and he may have said two, I understand he said two, I didnt hear it. Two Senators—it's four. Because we have four Senators we are doing not too badly for a hundred thousand people, and I say that this is a particularly appro- Sriate example of this type of thinking because when you come to think of it, Mr. peaker, the salaries of these people which are paid by Ottawa, are largely spent in Ottawa, in rents and in buying groceries, and buying the necessities of life, which our Senators and Members of Parliament require while spending the greater part of the year in Ottawa. And this has been the general picture of the whole economic situation in because when the federal government or when spends a dollar down here it is going to return to before too long. It is usually very interesting to see how. when large amounts of money are spent in other parts of Canada for major work, they are justified on the grounds and by the statement that this is in the interests of the national economy and hailed as a great step forward in the development of the nation. But when the poor old Maritimers happen to get the promise of a Causeway, or a wharf or a bridge then, in the attitude of too many today in Canada , this is a handout to the Maritime*. (Applause). We thank Mr. Sinclair for expressing these views because I feel, Mr. Speaker , that more and more Maritimers will want to speak out in the second ceutuiy and more and more Maritimers are beginning to get more and more faith in what we can do in this part of th« country. We have shown how we can give leadership in the rest of Canada , and we hope that we can justify, in the next hundred yean, the confidence of our young people graduating to the extent that we will retain a suf¬ ficient percentage of them to help us here in the work that lies ahead. And while opportunities are not all that attractive at the present time we invite our young: Islanders to give the Island a second look before leaving. We can tell them, as was suggested by an honourable member hurt evening, that while the salary paid to one of the officials in the Civil Service might have seemed high on the books he could have fetched twice that salary by moving to Ontario tomorrow. And there are many people, thank goodness, Mr. Speaker , who are paying this sacrifice in terms of loss of revenue but they recognise other values in life and many of these values are shared by the people of this province. I think that people who hold Mr. Sinclair 's views should remember that Prince Edward Island will receive approximately $14,- 000,000.00 this year in equalisation. (Applause). But the four will receive nearly $280,000,000.00 in equalization payments. Quebec incidentally wfll get $268,000,000.00, so the money is not all flowing down to the East, and it mitrht be pointed out, Mr. Speaker , that the Coal Conventions in are usually cited as further handouts. I think they amount to twenty million dollars a year. Whereas we don't hear too much, do we, about the Emergency Gold Mining Assis¬ tance Payments which are made in Ontario at an annual cost of approximately $16,- 000,000.00. Prince Edward Island imports from nearly twice the ton¬ nage it exports. Our potatoes are heavier than our people, I would guess. In dollars, the imports exceed $60,000,000.00 or 40% of the total personal income, and more than the total output of all its primary industries, and there are some very significant conclusions that can be drawn from this, Mr. Speaker . The four pay an estimated $14,000,000.00 of dollars a year into the Canadian Automobile In¬ dustry in the form of higher prices resulting from the tariff. I mentioned, Mr. Speaker , that we as a Government will strive for freer trade because here is an ex¬ ample of where a tariff established to protect an industry in costs Maritimers $14,000,000.00 per year in the extra expenses involved because of that tariff. We would save in outer words, Mr. Speaker , fourteen million dollars a year if we were able to buy our cars in Boston without paying the duties to bring those cars in. Well, we dont begrudge the money going to our Canadian brothers and sisters in another part of Canada , but lefs try and reciprocate and find reciprocity in some mutual understanding that the handouts or the payments are not all one way. We are vitally interested, Mr. Speaker , in the future of Canada , and I say, Mr. Speaker , that it is in the national Interests of Canada to maintain uniform standards