Mr. Gerry Martiniuk: I'm pleased to speak to this motion. A wise person once said, "If you don't know where you're going, you won't know when you get there." Unfortunately, this budget is not a plan to meet the economic challenges of this province, and without a plan, we won't know when we get there and we may end up in a place that we don't want to be.

A constituent of mine said it so much better than I could, I guess. This is a letter from Sandy Falkiner of Cambridge, Ontario, to the Honourable George Smitherman, with copies to various other people, other ministers, municipal and regional councillors. It's dated April 3, 2003:

"After reading the article in today's Record, 'Smitherman Hints Cambridge May Have to Choose Between Hospital Expansion and New Theatre,' I felt compelled to write to you and ask the simple question, 'Why do we have to choose?'

"As a lifelong Cambridge resident, a long-time community activist and volunteer, and a long-time Liberal supporter at both the provincial and federal levels, I believe that I am fairly politically and socially aware of some of the needs and concerns of our community.

"The hospital expansion in Cambridge was promised many, many years ago. The members of our community and wider region raised millions of dollars to ensure that the future health and well-being of our citizens would be well looked after in the years to come.

"The Drayton theatre project has also been long in the making and, in my opinion, speaks well for the forward-thinking and creativity of our municipal, business and community leaders and is a grassroots economic stimulus project that will help provide employment, financial stability and access to the arts for not only our community but also for our neighbouring cities and townships.

"To have you suggest that our community must now 'choose' between these two projects is, quite frankly, insulting and, in my opinion, backs our community into a corner for which the only answer is, of course, to support the hospital. To do otherwise would be political and socioeconomic suicide, as you well know. I understand and am familiar with these kinds of tactics because I vote against the use of them every time I place an X beside a Liberal candidate at election time.

"The people of Cambridge earned the right to their hospital expansion years ago, and it is a promise that must be delivered on without any strings attached or underhanded, manipulative innuendos. As a Liberal supporter, I can only hope that you misspoke accidentally or were misunderstood and that you will immediately rectify the situation.

"As a Cambridge resident, I can only hope that you will ensure the future of Cambridge Memorial Hospital and, in addition, allow for an unbiased, no-strings-attached look at the Drayton project as a separate issue. To do otherwise is not in keeping with the integrity and the mandate of the Liberal Party of Ontario.

"I have taken the liberty of forwarding a copy of this letter to the ministers of other portfolios, as well as my local municipal and regional leaders in the hopes of inviting engaging and meaningful consultation and solutions regarding this matter.

"Sincerely."
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.