PRAYERS

NATIONAL ANTHEM

STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS

Pursuant to Standing Order 31, Members made statements.

ORAL QUESTIONS

Pursuant to Standing Order 30(5), the House proceeded to Oral Questions.

DAILY ROUTINE OF BUSINESS

Tabling of Documents

Pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), Mr. Adams (Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons) laid upon the Table, -- Government responses, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8), to the following petitions:

-- Nos. 361-0133, 361-0247 and 361-0320 concerning pay equity.

-- Sessional Paper No. 8545-361-39.

By unanimous consent, Mr. Szabo (Mississauga South) presented the Report of the Canada-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group respecting its visit to Taiwan from January 11 to 17, 1998. -- Sessional Paper No. 8565-361-64.

Presenting Petitions

Pursuant to Standing Order 36, petitions certified correct by the Clerk of Petitions were presented as follows:

-- by Mr. Riis (Kamloops), one concerning international trade (No. 361-0488), one concerning the Canada Pension Plan (No. 361-0489) and one concerning the tax system (No. 361-0490);

-- by Mr. Steckle (Huron -- Bruce), one concerning gasoline pricing (No. 361- 0491);

-- by Mr. Peric (Cambridge), one concerning euthanasia (No. 361-0492), one concerning housing policy (No. 361-0493), one concerning health care services (No. 361-0494) and eight concerning nudity (Nos. 361-0495 to 361-0502);

-- by Mr. Solomon (Regina -- Lumsden -- Lake Centre), one concerning the Canada Pension Plan (No. 361-0503), one concerning international trade (No. 361- 0504) and one concerning the tax system (No. 361-0505);

-- by Mr. Szabo (Mississauga South), one concerning police and firefighters' death benefits (No. 361-0506).

NOTICES OF MOTIONS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF PAPERS

Ordered, -- That an Order of the House do issue for copies of all plans, drawings, documents and proposals initiated by the Crown, or by others on behalf of the Crown, surrounding the Health Canada study on the licensing of the bovine growth hormone drug (rBST) in Canada. (Notice of Motion for the Production of Papers P-7 -- Mr. Borotsik (Brandon -- Souris)).

Mr. Adams (Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons) presented the Return to this Order. -- Sessional Paper No. 8550-361-7.

GOVERNMENT ORDERS

The House resumed consideration of the motion of Mr. Martin (Minister of Finance), seconded by Mr. Gray (Deputy Prime Minister), -- That this House approves in general the budgetary policy of the Government. (Ways and Means Proceedings No. 5)

The debate continued.

Mr. Manning (Calgary Southwest), seconded by Mr. Solberg (Medicine Hat), moved the following amendment, -- That the motion be amended by replacing all the words after the word ``That'' with the following:

``the House of Commons reject the Budget statement by the Minister of Finance because it denies Canadians debt and tax relief by spending away the federal budget surplus, thus killing opportunities for job creation and economic growth; it leaves Canadians saddled with the highest personal income tax rates in the G-7 countries, resulting in systematic brain drain to jurisdictions with lower taxation levels; it allows interest charges on the national debt to consume one third of every tax dollar collected by the federal government and to exceed spending on health care, education, and old age security combined; it continues the steady decrease in real disposable income for the average Canadian through tax hikes; and it does not keep the government's promise of committing 50 percent of the surplus to new spending and the remaining 50 percent to some combination of debt reduction and tax relief.''

Debate arose thereon.

Mr. Loubier (Saint-Hyacinthe -- Bagot), seconded by Mr. Perron (Saint-Eustache -- Sainte-Thérèse), moved the following sub-amendment, -- That the amendment be amended by striking all words following the words ``Minister of Finance'' and replacing them with the following:

``because he has, by creating the Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation, broken his promise to respect provincial jurisdiction over education; he has provided nothing to stimulate job creation; he has not provided for adequate income-tax reductions for middle-class families; he has continued to appropriate the huge employment insurance fund surplus; he has obstinately refused to table anti-deficit legislation and he has not returned to the provinces the money he cut from their transfer payments, while pursuing his planned cuts up to the year 2003.''

Debate arose thereon.

MESSAGES FROM THE SENATE

A message was received from the Senate as follows:

-- ORDERED: That a Message be sent to the House of Commons to acquaint that House that the Senate has passed Bill C-5, An Act respecting cooperatives, without amendment.

PROCEEDINGS ON ADJOURNMENT MOTION

At 6:30 p.m., pursuant to Standing Order 38(1), the question "That this House do now adjourn" was deemed to have been proposed.

After debate, the question was deemed to have been adopted.

ADJOURNMENT

At 6:51 p.m., the Speaker adjourned the House until tomorrow at 8:30 a.m., pursuant to Order made Monday, February 23, 1998.