HON. TIM HOUSTON (The Premier): Speaker, I'd like to retract two words I used in Question Period yesterday.

THE SPEAKER: Thank you for doing that. This would be a good opportunity maybe to have the member for Dartmouth North retract and apologize as well.

[1:45 p.m.]

The honourable member for Dartmouth North.

THE PREMIER: Speaker, we are very supportive of the industry. We've evidenced that with significant announcements. We've made more investments in the industry than the prior government did. We are supportive of the industry. We'll continue to be supportive of the industry. It's an important industry for our province. There's absolutely no question about that.

SUSAN LEBLANC: Speaker, I rise on a point of personal privilege. The Premier's language and tactics directed at the Leader of the NDP in Question Period were unacceptable. They directly questioned the integrity of the Leader of the NDP. Earlier today, you told us - you reminded us twice - that this was not allowed.

The Premier's comments that the Leader of the NDP is negative and whiny and hates Nova Scotians comes directly from the misogynist playbook, which could also be titled . . .

THE SPEAKER: Order, please. The member for Dartmouth North has the floor.

HON. MICHELLE THOMPSON: Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I'm doing so at the earliest opportunity, and I'm tabling the document to which I will refer.

Speaker, during Question Period on March 1^st, the member for Annapolis said: "I'm happy to have volunteered on physician recruitment the last number of years and will continue to do so."

[Page 7814]

THE SPEAKER: Before we move on, one other thing I would like to address from yesterday. I made a ruling respecting unparliamentary language used by the honourable member for Kings South during Question Period, and required that he retract the comment, which he did.

Following Question Period, the honourable House Leader for the Official Opposition asked me to clarify exactly what the honourable member for Kings South had been made to retract. I reviewed Hansard to confirm the exact language. The statement in question was: "For $6 million in the pocket of one friend of the Premier?"

KEITH IRVING: My question to the minister is: When will the Minister of Finance and Treasury Board, the Minister of Agriculture, or the Premier sit down with the wine industry that is on the edge of a cliff because of this decision by this government? This will be catastrophic to rural Nova Scotia - and why? For $6 million in the pocket of one friend of the Premier? Talk to the industry.

ALLAN MACMASTER: Speaker, I'm not so certain that the last comment is actually parliamentary. Perhaps you'll address that in a moment. What I would say . . .

ZACH CHURCHILL: Speaker, I love when we see the pettiness of this Premier when he slings mud because he can't stand on the merit of his own record. When we have poverty increasing in this province . . .

THE SPEAKER : Order. "Slinging mud" is unparliamentary, so I ask the Leader of the Official Opposition if he could retract that.

The Leader of the Official Opposition.

ZACH CHURCHILL: I will retract those comments.

TIMOTHY HALMAN: I know the Liberal Party at this moment might be a little distracted by covering up misuse of funds, but we know on this side of the House we are focused on climate policy, implementing good climate policy, and implementing the coastal action plan.

...

[Page 7464]

THE PREMIER: When you look at the budgets, we've tabled deficit budgets - two in a row. Another significant budget will come this week. When you cut taxes - and of course, everyone wants to cut taxes - something has to give. There's a trade-off. I would ask the member: What would he trade off? But I don't have to ask him, because I knew what they cut when they were in government. They cut health care. They cut investments in Nova Scotians. We will not do that.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please. Before we start the daily routine, the subject matter for late debate has been chosen, and I will read it:

Therefore be it resolved that a week ago the Liberal Party showed how much they are job killers with no plan or vision when, as well as opposing thousands of new jobs for young Nova Scotians, the Liberal contribution to legislative debate on the future of the Bowater Mersey forest lands was to state they would say nothing until there was a government announcement, then criticize.

It was submitted by the honourable member for Queens.