The Toronto waterfront.

House of Commons Ottawa May 23, 1991. Member of Parliament John Nunziata (York South-Weston) Liberal: "...He says there is nothing wrong with the federal government selling public parkland in order to benefit the rich and wealthy. There are a lot of poor and not so poor people in metropolitan Toronto who cannot escape to Roscoe Lake on the hot summer weekends in order to boat at their cottages. A lot of residents of metropolitan Toronto have the waterfront for their recreation during the summer months. The government is proposing to sell that very valuable asset. Why? Not to reduce the deficit."

" We know that the government has gone to extremes in order to reduce the Government Orders national deficit, but it wants to sell part of the land in order to create a trust fund so that Harbourfront can be financed in perpetuity. In other words, sell public parkland to developers. Let them make hundreds of millions of dollars building luxury condominiums or luxury hotels on the waterfront. The revenue from the sale of this land will go into a little trust fund and the interest, whether 10, 11 or 12 percent a year, will be used to carry on these very worthwhile activities, including children's summer camp, summer festivals and book reading."

"Why does it not sell the House of Commons? Why does it not sell the lawn in front of the Peace Tower to private interests? One would have all kinds of private businesses interested in securing the rights to the lawn in front of the House of Commons. We can still have the right to debate in the Chamber but the money could be used in order to pay for MP's salaries or expenses. It is nonsense and it ought not be done. We should not be selling public land or parkland in order to finance programs."

"The waterfront is for the people of metropolitan Toronto, the people of Ontario and the people of Canada and it should be developed as such."