In that instance, a group of taxpayers — school boards, mostly from Quebec, as I recall it — had gone to court to seek reimbursement of GST that they had paid for the transport of pupils.

– Mr President, on a point of order, in the early hours of last Thursday morning, a bus carrying 43 school children from Largs Academy in Ayrshire, Scotland, was involved in a tragic accident near the French village of Bierre-les-Semur, near Dijon in Burgundy.

Aside from the rightful decision by the President to send her condolences to the families of the victims, perhaps, Mr President, it would be helpful if that communication from the President urged all the authorities responsible for transport in the European Union once again to step up the application of legislation and the monitoring of safety conditions for the transport of both school children and pensioners, who have frequently been victims of such tragedies.

Now the discussions between the Newfoundland department of education and all denominational groups have resulted in a solid framework for reform, including the establishment, as I said earlier, of the interim school boards in preparation for the consolidation of school boards from 27 to 10, a single construction board and a single busing system ready to be implemented for September 1, 1996 (1940) If it is a question of someone challenging this agreement, we could send it to the Supreme Court and ask it for an immediate ruling to see what the consequences of this move would be.

I am told from very reliable sources, including both government and others who oppose, that an agreement has been reached, at least in principle-and one could quibble about that-on the number of school boards there would be, on funding of capital expenditures, on the viability of schools, busing and a construction board.

It is a public service as are the road system, the school bus system, the St. Lawrence Seaway, the coast guard, the armed forces and others.