Derek McDowell (Labour)

It is always my good fortune to have an opportunity to speak after the point where control of the House slips into the hands of the Progressive Democrats following inflammatory comments from Senator Ross, after which he promptly disappears. On more than one occasion this has tempted me down a number of culs-de-sac, most of which I will try to avoid today.

I wish to begin with a nakedly sectarian point of which I was reminded when Senator Mansergh referred to Le Monde— that it would be appropriate today to express our solidarity with French workers and students as they seek to resist the efforts of the Minister of State's confrères in the French Government to undermine the standard of living of young French people.