1938-01-28

Mr. SPEAKER:: I have the honour to inform the house that during the recess I received communications from several members, notifying me that the following vacancies had occurred in the representation, viz:
Of Colin Alexander Campbell, Esquire, member for the electoral district of Frontenac-Addington, by resignation;
Of Daniel Alexander Cameron, Esquire, member for the electoral district of Cape Breton North-Victoria, by decease;
Of Hon. William Earl Rowe, member for the electoral district of Dufferin-Simcoe, by resignation;
Of Hon. Simon Fraser Tolmie, member for the electoral district of Victoria, B.C., by decease;
Of Joseph Achille Verville, Esquire, member for the electoral district of Lotbiniere, by decease;
Of Paul Mercier, Esquire, member for the electoral district of St. Henry, consequent upon the acceptance of an office of emolument under the crown;
Of Right Hon. Sir George Halsey Perley, G.C.M.G., member for the electoral district of Argenteuil, by decease;
Of William Michael Ryan, Esquire, member for the electoral district of St. John-Albert, by decease.
I accordingly issued my several warrants to the chief electoral officer to make out new writs of election for the said electoral districts, respectively.



NEW MEMBERS

Walter Edward Foster: I have the honour to inform the house that the clerk of the house has received from the chief electoral officer certificates of the elections and return of the following members, viz:
Of Ralph Melville Warren, Esquire, for the electoral district of Renfrew North;
Of Matthew MacLean, Esquire, for the electoral district of Cape Breton North-Victoria ;
Of Angus Neil McCallum, Esquire, for the electoral district of Frontenac-Addington;
Of the Hon. William Earl Rowe, for the electoral district of Dufferin-Simcoe;
Of Robert Wellington Mayhew, Esquire, for the electoral district of Victoria (B.C.);
Of Joseph Napoleon Francceur, Esquire, for the electoral district of Lotbiniere.



NEW MEMBERS INTRODUCED

[Stage Direction]
Ralph Melville AVarren, Esquire, member for the electoral district of Renfrew North, introduced by Right Hon. W. L. Mackenzie King and Hon. Norman McL. Rogers.
Matthew MacLean, Esquire, member for the electoral district of Cape Breton North-Victoria, introduced by Right Hon. W. L. Mackenzie King and Hon. J. L. Ilsley.
[Stage Direction]
Governor General's Speech
[Stage Direction]
Angus Neil McCallum, Esquire, member for the electoral district of Frontenac-Addington, introduced by Right Hon. W. L. Mackenzie King and Hon. Norman McL. Rogers.
Joseph Napoleon Francoeur, Esquire, member for the electoral district of Lotbiniere, introduced by Right Hon. W. L. Mackenzie King and Right Hon. Ernest Lapointe.

[Stage Direction]
Right Hon. W. L. MACKENZIE KING (Prime Minister) moved for leave to introduce Bill No. 1, respecting the administration of oaths of office.
Motion agreed to and bill read the first time.

Walter Edward Foster: I have the honour to inform the house that when the house did attend His Excellency the Governor General this day in the Senate chamber, His Excellency was pleased to make a speech to both houses of parliament. To prevent mistakes, I have obtained a copy, which is as follows: Honourable Members of the Senate:
Members of the House of Commons:
It affords me much pleasure to greet you upon the resumption of your parliamentary duties.
The interval which has elapsed since the last session witnessed the coronation, in the month of May, of Their Majesties King George the Sixth and Queen Elizabeth. The event was one of special significance to the nations of the British Commonwealth. In the coronation service and ceremonial, recognition was given to the relationship between the sovereign and his peoples in the several dominions, as embodied in the Statute of Westminster.
Members of the government participated in the deliberations of the Imperial Conference which followed immediately after the coronation. The summary of proceedings of the conference will be placed before you at an early date for your consideration. It is the belief of the government that the opportunities afforded for the exchange of views and information on questions of common interest and concern, will serve to further the well-being of all parts of the commonwealth.
It is gratifying to note that, during the past year, there has been a further substantial advance in Canada's economic recovery. Revenues have reached new levels. Trade -with other countries has materially expanded. There has been a general increase in employment and a marked decrease in the numbers receiving unemployment aid.
The recurrence, in a more acute form, of drought conditions in certain areas of western Canada has unfortunately made it necessary to provide assistance on an unprecedented scale. The government intends to continue its activities under the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Act.
In view of the success which has attended efforts to assist in the training of unemployed young people, it is proposed to extend the mherne during the coming year.
fMr. Speaker.]
The Department of Agriculture has been reorganized and its services consolidated along lines designed to improve the standard and acceptability of Canadian farm products.
Arrangements are being completed for the inauguration of a national trans-Canada air service.
The National Employment Commission, the royal commission appointed to inquire into conditions in the textile industry, and the commission appointed under the provisions of the Veterans' Assistance Commission Act, 1936, have concluded their duties. The reports of these commissions will be tabled in due course.
The strains and stresses, which economic and social developments since confederation have placed upon Canada's governmental structure, have disclosed the necessity for adjustments which will enable it the more effectively to serve provincial and national needs, and to promote and preserve Canadian unity. My ministers are of the opinion that, with exact and adequate information, it should be possible for the appropriate authorities to work out satisfactory solutions. As a first step towards this end, a royal commission of inquiry has been appointed to re-examine the economic and financial basis of Confederation and the distribution of legislative povrers in the light of the new conditions which have arisen in the past seventy years. The commission has already held sittings in many parts of the Dominion.
The cooperation of the provinces has been sought with a view to an amendment of the British North America Act, which would empower the parliament of Canada to enact forthwith a national scheme of unemployment insurance. My ministers hope the proposal may meet with early approval, in order that unemployment insurance legislation may be enacted during the present session of parliament.
Members of the House of Commons will be invited to consider the report of the special committee on Elections and Franchise Acts, and you will be asked to enact such legislation as may be necessary to implement such of the committee's recommendations as meet with their approval.
A measure will be submitted to extend the authority of the Board of Railway Commissioners.
Legislation will be introduced with a view to furthering the principle of parliamentary control of the export of electrical power.
The international situation generally continues to give much ground for anxiety. My ministers have endeavoured, as opportunity has afforded, to promote international understanding and good-will. They have sought to join the efforts of Canada to those of other countries which are seeking by cooperation and conciliation to effect a settlement of questions and issues which concern the world's peace.
The administration has followed with deep interest the course of the negotiations being conducted with a view to the conclusion of a trade agreement between the United Kingdom and the United States of America. My ministers are fully alive to the importance of these negotiations, and to Canada's interest in their outcome.
In August last, the Canadian government approached the government of the United States with a view to extending and revising the trade agreement concluded between them in 1935. Exploratory conversations followed

His Majesty King George VI
which have resulted in efforts to effect a new agreement on a broad and comprehensive basis. It is hoped that negotiations may so progress as to render it possible to submit the new agreement to parliament, for its consideration, during the present session.
With a number of other countries, adjustments have been made, during the past year, in our commercial relations in order to facilitate a wider exchange of commodities.
The government is convinced that, in seeking to cooperate with the United Kingdom and other countries in efforts to promote international trade, it is pursuing one of the most effective means of ensuring economic security and progress in Canada, and the betterment of conditions in other parts of the world.
Members of the House of Commons:
The public accounts of the last fiscal year and the estimates for the coming year will be submitted for your consideration.
Honourable Members of the Senate:
Members of the House of Commons:
In inviting your careful consideration of the important matters which will engage your attention, I pray that Divine Providence may guide and bless your deliberations.


Right Hon. W. L. MACKENZIE KING (Prime Minister) moved:: That the speech of His Excellency the Governor General to both houses of parliament be taken into consideration on Monday next, and that this order have precedence over all other business, except the introduction of bills, until disposed of.


[Stage Direction]
Motion agreed to.


Walter Edward Foster: I have the honour to inform the house that I have received a communication from His Majesty King George VI, signed by his own hand, as follows:
Buckingham Palace.
Members of the Senate and of the House of Commons of Canada.
I thank you most sincerely for the assurances of loyalty and support contained in the address which you have presented to me upon the occasion of my accession to the throne. It is the dearest wish of The Queen and myself that our reign may be marked, under Divine Providence, by the blessings of peace and by a steady advancement in the welfare and prosperity of all our peoples: and in our labours to this end we shall be strengthened and encouraged by the prayers and goodwill of the Canadian parliament and people.
George R.I.
12th April, 1937.



ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF ADDRESS TO HIS MAJESTY ON THE OCCASION OF HIS CORONATION

Walter Edward Foster: I have the honour to inform the house that I have a communication
from His Majesty King George VI, signed by his own hand, as follows:
Buckingham Palace.
Members of the Senate and of the House of Commons of Canada:
It is with feelings of deep gratitude that I acknowledge the message of loyalty and congratulation conveyed in your address of the 10th April which was presented to me by my Prime Minister of Canada on the 11th May.
The assurances of loyalty and devotion addressed to us on that occasion -will always be an encouragement to The Queen and myself in the performance of our high task.
We were glad to know that the Speakers of your two houses were present at the solemn ceremony of our coronation. The participation in that ceremony of representatives from our overseas dominions fittingly marked the position of the crown as symbolising the unity and free association of the peoples of the British Commonwealth.
Throughout our reign it will be our constant aim to cherish and maintain, to the best of our powers, the heritage of justice, civil liberty, and ordered freedom which we have received from those who in past generations helped to build up this association of nations; and we rejoice to know that in our endeavours to promote, under Divine guidance, the welfare and happiness of our peoples, we shall be supported by the prayers and affection of the people of Canada.
George R.I.
29th June, 1937.



STANDING COMMITTEES

William Lyon Mackenzie King: That a special committee consisting of Messrs. Casselman, Gray, Mackenzie (Vancouver), Power and Woodsworth, be appointed to prepare and report with all convenient speed, lists of members to compose the standing committees of this house, under standing order 63.


[Stage Direction]
Motion agreed to.

[Stage Direction]
Right Hon. W. L. MACKENZIE KING (Prime Minister) presented the following message from His Excellency the Governor General:
The Governor General transmits to the House of Commons a certified copy of an approved minute of council appointing the Honourable T. A. Crerar, Minister of Mines and Resources, the Right Honourable Ernest Lapointe, Minister of Justice, the Honourable Charles A. Dunning, Minister of Finance, and the Honourable W. D. Euler, Minister of Trade and Commerce, to act with the Speaker of the House of Commons as commissioners for the purposes and under the provisions of chapter 145 of the revised statutes of Canada, 1927, intituled An Act Respecting the House of Commons.
Auditor General's Report

Walter Edward Foster: I have the honour to lay before the house the report of the joint librarians of parliament.
On motion of Mr. Mackenzie King the house adjourned at 4.25 p.m.
Friday, January 28, 1938



VACANCY

Walter Edward Foster: I have the honour to inform the house that I have received a communication from two members, notifying me that the following vacancy has occurred in the representation, viz:
Of William Samuel Hall, Esquire, member for the electoral district of Edmonton East, by decease. I accordingly issued my warrant to the chief electoral officer to make out a new writ of election for the said electoral district.


Right Hon. R. B. BENNETT (Leader of the Opposition):: Mr. Speaker, I should like to direct attention to the fact that climatic conditions in that part of the country are such that a winter election may be and in fact is an almost impossible task, and I hope that a date will be fixed that will make it possible, at least, for the will of the electors to be registered.


William Lyon Mackenzie King: I might say to my right hon. friend that the government will take note of what he has just said. We have, in fact, considered the matter already.



IMPERIAL CONFERENCE, 1937

William Lyon Mackenzie King: Mr. Speaker, I desire to lay on the table two copies in English and two in French, of the summary of proceedings of the imperial conference, 1937. Copies of the summary will be made available to the members of parliament through the distribution office of the House of Commons.



AUDITOR GENERAL'S REPORT


[Stage Direction]
Report of the Auditor General, volumes I and II, for the year ended March 31, 1937.- Mr. Dunning.
Richard Bedford Bennett: Mr. Speaker, it was the custom in this house for many years, when tabling the report of the Auditor General,' to move that it be referred to the public \ accounts committee; but when large num-1 bers of reports were tabled that was for some reason overlooked on one occasion, and it continued to be overlooked except on one or two occasions. If the minister will look at the matter I think he will find that the correct practice is as I have indicated. Possibly it might 'be better for him to look into it and make a motion, if he so desires, on Monday. I suggest it is the regular practice that should be followed with respect to the Auditor General's report.
Hon. CHARLES A. DUNNING (Minister of Finance): My recollection is that last year, on a subsequent occasion, after the setting up of the public accounts committee, I made the motion referred to by the leader of the opposition (Mr. Bennett). I shall be glad, however, to look into the matter.



TRIBUTES TO DECEASED MEMBERS

William Lyon Mackenzie King: Mr. Speaker, since we last assembled here no fewer than six of our number have been removed by the hand of death. Three of the hon. members were supporters of the government; two hon. members, each a former minister of the crown, were members of the official opposition, and one hon. member belonged to the Social Credit party. This, I believe, is in the history of our parliament the largest number of deaths which have taken place, at any time, in the recess between the prorogation of one session and the opening of the next. It, undoubtedly, is accounted for, in part by the fact that the recent recess has been somewhat longer than the average. No fewer -than three of the deaths have occurred in the present month.
It will I know accord with the feelings of all who shared the proceedings of the previous sessions if, before entering upon the work of this session, some expression is given to the loss which this house has sustained in its membership and some slight tribute paid to the memory of those whose lives and public services have been brought to a close, and who are so much in our thoughts at the present time.
The hon. members who have been taken from us, and the constituencies they represented, were: Mr. Daniel A. Cameron, Cape Breton North-Victoria, whose death occurred on September 4, 1937; the Hon. Doctor Simon

Tributes to Deceased Members
F. Tolmie, Victoria, B.C., who died on October 13, 1937; Mr. Joseph A. Verville, Lotbiniere, who died on November 20, 1937; the Right Hon. Sir George Perley, who represented Argenteuil, and whose death occurred on January 4 of this year; Mr. William M. Ryan, St. John-Albert, who died on the same day; and Doctor William S. Hall, Edmonton East, who died the day before yesterday.
Of this number, Messrs. Cameron, Verville and Ryan were supporters of the government. All three were members of the legal profession. Mr. Verville entered this house in 1925 and was here in all subsequent sessions. Mr. Cameron and Mr. Ryan came into the house only at the beginning of the present parliament. Mr. Ryan and Mr. Verville were each in their fifty-first year, Mr. Cameron was in his sixty-eighth.
Mr. Verville was born at Ste. Gertrude, Quebec, in 1887. He received his education at Nicolet college and at Laval university; from which he graduated as a notary. At one time he was mayor of St. Flavien, where he was residing at the time of his death. Although not a farmer himself, Mr. Verville represented a rural constituency. He took a keen interest in agricultural problems as well as in other matters of concern to his constituency and the province. He was a man of a retiring disposition. He did not take much part in the debates of this house, but he held strong convictions, and did not hesitate to express his views when he felt it was in the interests of his constituency that he should do so. His career has been ended prematurely, but he has left a record of service to his constituency which will be remembered not only by those whom he immediately served but by the people of his province generally.
Mr. Ryan was born in Saint John, New Brunswick, and was educated at St. Joseph's University and at King College Law School. He was created a King's Counsel in 1934. Before practising his profession as a barrister, Mr. Ryan had had considerable experience in journalism, both in his own province at Saint John, and at Regina. The experience gained in law and in journalism stood him in good stead when he came to this parliament. He had previously, on two occasions, unsuccessfully contested Saint John, but at the last election was returned by a large majority. Hon. members will recall that while here for only two sessions, Mr. Ryan took an active part in the discussions in this house, and also served faithfully on a number of committees. He gave evidence of outstanding ability. I feel that his death, occurring at the age of fifty years, closed a promising political career.
Mr. Cameron was born at Sydney River, Nova Scotia, in 1870 and received his training at Dalhousie university. If I am not mistaken he was at Dalhousie in the same years as my right hon. friend the leader of the opposition (Mr. Bennett). Mr. Cameron before entering this parliament had already had a fairly long and active career in politics. He had taken quite an exceptional part in the affairs of his native province. He also had had an exceptionally fine career as a member of the legal profession. It was to be expected therefore that, even in the short time he was here, he would render real service to this parliament.
Mr. Cameron's public life may be said to have commenced with his interest in municipal affairs. In 1900 he was elected a member of the Cape Breton Council. He subsequently in 1916 and the years immediately following represented Cape Breton county in the provincial legislature. In 1922 he was made a member of the legislative council, and became the leader of his party in that house. When the legislative council was abolished Mr. Cameron sought re-election to the legislature and was returned by acclamation at a by-election as the member for Victoria. While a member of the legislative council Mr. Cameron had also been a minister without portfolio in the government of the late Hon. George Murray. After his return to the legislature as member for Victoria he became provincial secretary in the government of the Hon. Ernest Armstrong, which position he held until 1925. He was returned again to the legislature in 1928. As already mentioned, he was elected to this house at the last general election.
I am sure hon. members recall the effective manner in which Mr. Cameron discussed public questions. In his contributions to the debates the evidence he gave of wide reading, knowledge and experience and his calm judgment, avoidance of extremes of language in asserting his position, all helped to make his words bring conviction, and to leave a real impression upon the house. His death is a distinct loss to this parliament.
Mr. Cameron, Mr. Verville and Mr. Ryan were all outstanding Liberals. They were strong and firm in their convictions, faithful to their party and its principles, and very loyal to my colleagues and myself. They had friends in all parts of the house, but their loss will be felt particularly by those on this side, and by none more than my colleagues and myself, to whose administration they gave such loyal and whole-hearted support.
As I said a moment ago, it is not, however, from this side of the house alone that familiar

Tributes to Deceased Members
forms and faces have vanished. The Conservative party has lost two of its outstanding members, two gentlemen who for many years were among the foremost in the public life of our country. And the Social Credit group has experienced the first loss in its ranks. I hasten on behalf of hon. members on this side to express both to my Conservative friends and to my friends of the Social Credit party the sympathy which is felt by members of the government and its following in the losses which they have sustained.
Sir George Perley and Doctor Tolmie were, as I have just said, foremost for many years in the affairs of their party and prominent in the affairs of our country. Each of them had been in public life for a considerable time. Doctor Tolmie was returned five times to this house from the constituency of Victoria, British Columbia. Sir George Perley was returned seven times from the constituency of Argenteuil in Quebec. Doctor Tolmie served eleven years in this House of Commons, and Sir George Perley twenty-five years. Each of them had served in more than one administration as a minister of the crown and each had occupied, elsewhere, positions of high honour, trust and authority. While they were very different in many respects there were some distinct similarities in their characters as well as in their careers. Each of them had inherited an interest in public life and an aptitude for public service.
Doctor Tolmie's father, a physician, was one of the pioneer settlers of the Pacific coast, and was a member of the legislature of the colony of Vancouver island before the island became part of the province of British Columbia. Sir George Perley's father was one of the pioneer settlers of Upper Canada before the days of the Union. He too had seen service in public life. From 1887 to 1890 he was a member for Ottawa in this parliament. I might add that Doctor Tolmie's mother and Sir George Perley's mother in those early days each contributed much to the communities in which they lived. That service is still gratefully remembered.
Both Doctor Tolmie and Sir George Perley had natures which were kindly and generous. Each possessed a real capacity for making and holding friends. I doubt if either of them had personal enemies among their political opponents while each had many friends in all parties. Doctor Tolmie and Sir George Perley were alike in yet another respect, what I might term their modesty. Each despite the prominence of his position was anything but

self-assertive. I do not think that either of them cared particularly for publicity, at any rate an undue publicity. Both too possessed another quality, all too rare. They were ready when the demands of the government or of their party seemed to occasion it, to efface themselves in order that they might be of gieater service to others. In the difficult, most necessary but often thankless task of the work of political organization each of them rendered great service to the party to which he belonged.
Doctor Tolmie was seventy at the time of his death.
Doctor Tolmie's life, both in and out of parliament, was	identified	most closely with agriculture.	He	was	born	on a farm in Victoriain 1867.	To	the	close	of his life, he retainedhis love	of	the	soil,	and his pride in his
association with the farming community. In addition to being a farmer and a breeder of pure bred livestock, he was, by profession, a veterinary surgeon. Before entering parliament, he served as Chief Inspector of Health of Animals Branch in the provincial service, in British Columbia, and later as representative, for British Columbia, of the Dominion Live Stock Commission.
Doctor Tolmie entered political life in 1917, at which time he was elected federal member for Victoria. He was returned to three successive parliaments, and in all, was elected five times to represent the constituency of Victoria at Ottawa.
In 1919, Doctor Tolmie was appointed Minister of Agriculture in the government of Sir Robert Borden. He held the same post in Mr. Meighen's administrations, in 1920 and 1926. While still a member of this house, he became the leader of the Conservative party in British Columbia.
Prior to the provincial elections of 1928, Doctor Tolmie resigned from the House of Commons in order the more effectively to participate in the campaign, and to contest a provincial seat. His party was returned to power, and he became Premier of British Columbia, which office he held from 1928 until the defeat of his administration in 1933. This reverse meant a temporary abandonment of his political career, but in the by-election of 1936, he was returned for the fifth and last time as a member for Victoria in this house.
Public duties were thrust upon, rather than sought, by Doctor Tolmie. He was a man of robust personality, and a modest and faithful public servant; a man of unimpeachable integrity, and possessed of a strong, homely

Tributes to Deceased Members
common sense and ready wit. He will be remembered among those who have helped to build the Canadian west, and who have made an enduring contribution to Canadian agriculture.
Sir George Perley's death was so recent, and so very sudden, that it still remains something of a shock to all who knew him. In our references to him, I do not think Sir George would have wish ed us to strike a sorrowful note. In the manner of his passing, as in his life, there was much for which his friends may well be grateful. He had lived to the great age of eighty years. In appearance he was much younger. He had been spared any impairment of his faculties, or any prolonged suffering.
On New Year's day, which was a Saturday, Sir George had taken his part in the life of the capital. Sunday saw him at his accustomed place of worship. On Monday, the day before his death, he had been following his usual activities. That night, he passed away quietly in his sleep-"Like one who wraps the drapery of his couch about him, and lies down to pleasant dreams." As he had lived at peace with the world, so, in peace, he ended his days.
Sir George grew up in the picturesque surroundings of the Ottawa valley, in the days of the early lumbering industry. How long a career his was, how much of change he witnessed in its course, and how considerable the experience he brought to his public life, we realize when we recall that he was ten years of age at confederation, and had lived in Ottawa before it rvas chosen to be Canada's capital. He told us in a broadcast but a few months ago that he could remember the time when the settlement consisted of but two small struggling communities, one in Lower Town and one at the Chaudiere-separated by some two miles of poor road; while in between, there were practically no buildings, except the barracks, standing on the site of these Houses of Parliament.
Entering parliament when all but fifty years of age, Sir George Perley occupied, for over three decades, in years of war and peace alike, a foremost place in our public life.
I rather hesitate to attempt an enumeration of significant features in his parliamentary career, or the nature of his public services. As, however, few men, in the history of our country, have given more completely of their time, and of their lives to the public service than Sir George, it is, I think, desirable that, at this time, some mention should be made of the positions of great trust, honour and responsibility which he held in the course of
his long and useful life, and in which, both at home and abroad, he gave so much of disinterested public service.
Sir George entered this House of Commons as the member for Argenteuil in 1904. He had previously unsuccessfully contested the constituency on two occasions. He became chief whip of his party in 1910. When Sir Robert Borden was returned to office in 1911, he became a member of the cabinet without portfolio. As early as 1912-13, Sir George became acting Prime Minister in the absence of Sir Robert Borden, and this position he filled time and again during absences from Canada of both Sir Robert and my right honourable friend. There quickly developed that intimate association between Sir George and Sir Robert which made him the most loyal and helpful of colleagues of the Prime Minister. He preferred, through the years that his party was in office, not to accept a portfolio at Ottawa, though, he was at all times, prepared, as a member of the government, to assist the Prime Minister and his colleagues, in an acting capacity, to the extent of his power, and exceptional opportunities.
Few prime ministers have ever had a more loyal and helpful colleague than Sir Robert Borden had in his friend, Sir George Perley. That helpfulness and cooperation was extended in equal measure to Mr. Meighen and to my right hon. friend during their years of office. May I here express to my right hon. friend the very sincere sympathy I feel for him in particular in the loss of one who shared his desk in this House of Commons, and with whom he rvas so closely associated in all his public duties.
During his visit to England in the early part of 1914, Sir George assumed the temporary charge of the then vacant office of High Commissioner for Canada. With the outbreak of the war, he remained in charge of this office, and added to the duties of it, those of Minister of Overseas Military Forces.
When he relinquished the latter post in October, 1917, Sir George accepted the appointment of High Commissioner for Canada, and remained in that office until March, 1922. He was, during the period of the war, and the years immediately succeeding, a member of the Imperial War Cabinet, a delegate to the Imperial Conference of 1917, to the Conference at Versailles, 1919, and to the Assembly of the League of Nations, in 1921.
Of Sir George's political career, it is perhaps sufficient to say that, throughout it all, he was true to the best traditions of public life, something which was never more needed than in these times of changing values and loyalties.
Tributes to Deceased Members

May I add this one further word with reference to a part played by Sir George in the proceedings of this house. His practical knowledge, and sound judgment of men and affairs, as I have already said, meant much to his party, both in office and in opposition. I should like to add that it meant much, as well, to all parties in parliament. In the nature of things, difficulties and differences are bound to arise between a government and an opposition, which, if they are permitted to develop and become acrimonious, are bound to destroy what is best in our parliamentary system of government, namely, the settlement of all matters by reasoned discussion, and the avoidance of unnecessary bitterness, or attempts at coercion in any form. In situations of the kind, Sir George always sought to exercise a moderating and a restraining influence, one which had its effect for good in the relations of all.
I have still to make mention of one more hon. member who has been taken from us since the last session.
It was only the day before yesterday that word was received of the sudden passing, in Edmonton, of Doctor William S. Hall, the member for Edmonton East.
Doctor Hall was in his sixty-seventh year at the time of his death. He was a dentist by profession, and his education had been gained, in part, at the University of Toronto. Like Mr. Cameron and Mr. Ryan, he entered parliament for the first time in 1935. It was his interest in the Social Credit movement which brought him to the fore, first as a candidate for the legislature of Alberta, in 1935, and, later, in the same year as a candidate for the House of Commons. He was not successful at the provincial election, but succeeded in winning a seat in the federal parliament at the general election. His participation in the affairs of this House was necessarily limited. Dr. Hall hardly had the opportunity to become familiar with public life, and we had only come to know him when he was called away.
In what I have just said of the six of our number who have been taken from us, I have necessarily enlarged somewhat upon the services of those who have been longest in public life, and whose part in public affairs has been best known.
Thinking, however, of all of them, one feels that each, in his own way, and to the best of his abilities, sought to serve his community, his generation, and his country. They were all good Canadians, and their

names and their lives and their public services will be remembered through years to come.
I would ask you, Mr. Speaker, kindly to convey to the immediate members of the families of those of our number who have passed away, the sincere expression of the sympathy of this House, in their bereavement.


Richard Bedford Bennett: Mr. Speaker, there has
grown up a custom, now almost established as a parliamentary practice, whereby before entering upon the active work of a session we pause to contemplate the work of those who have left us during the recess. For many reasons I think it is a sound practice. The right hon. the Prime Minister (Mr. Mackenzie King) gave one excellent reason when he said that it afforded us an opportunity to record upon the pages of Hansard the achievements in public service of those who have left us. But it serves another purpose; it serves to remind us of the brevity of human life, and of the unimportance of the individual in the march of time. A few months ago none of us could have thought that by to-day six of our number would have passed to the Great Beyond. Serving as it does those purposes this custom enables some of us who for a brief moment may occupy official positions in the house to record briefly the contributions which have been made to the public life of Canada by our former fellow members.
Three hon. members who have left us were supporters of the government of the day. I cannot think of Mr. Cameron other than as my old friend Dan Cameron. We were classmates at Dalhousie. He was a Cape Breton Scotchman, a highlander through both sides of his parentage, and was blessed with what I regarded as one of the most powerful intellects with which I came in contact. To some extent I think circumstances limited the operation of that mind, but when I knew him as a student I knew one whose very powerful mind made a deep impression upon me in those youthful days. He served for many years in a judicial capacity as a stipendiary magistrate at Sydney. In the public life of Nova Scotia, whether in the legislative council or the legislative assembly, he brought to bear upon the questions he had to consider a moderation, a dignity and a calmness of judgment worthy of emulation.
In ill health he came to this house, and we did not see the strength and force of the man. However on more than one occasion his independence of judgment was manifested

Tributes to Deceased Members
when, on questions which did not affect high policy, he indicated that at the time he was not in accord with those who for the moment took a particular stand. It is a matter of great pride and satisfaction to me to think that an old classmate of mine was here, and that he sat not far from me. To me his passing was a real sorrow, for I had a deep and affectionate regard for him which I find somewhat difficult to express in words.
The late hon. member for St. John-Albert. Mr. Ryan, represented the county in which I was born. He had experience in the profession to which I belong, and was also a journalist of repute, knowing something of its troubles, difficulties and problems. I saw him last fall in his native city of St. John where he was engaged in an inquiry. At that time I had some discussion with him, little thinking I should never see him again. He had a warmhearted disposition, an attribute of his race. While on some matters we actively differed, our differences never in any sense interfered with our personal relations. I realize, as the Prime Minister has said so very aptly, his leaving us was on the threshold of what promised to be a very useful career.
Of the third supporter of the government who has departed this life, Mr. Verville, I knew very little. I observed that he was a faithful attendant in this chamber, and, although he expressed himself seldom in this house, he took a great interest in all public questions. The fact that he was elected four times by his constituents is in itself testimony to the place he held in their affection and regard. That he had their confidence indicates that he was no ordinary man in a county the size of that which he represented.
On behalf of those with whom I am associated I wish to express to the government our very great sympathy in their loss of three supporters, gentlemen who gave promise of being extremely useful as the years went by in the discharge of public duties. Of their loyalty and devotion to their party and government I think nothing need be said; it was apparent on every occasion upon which the opportunity offered. To the families of these distinguished gentlemen we extend our sympathy in their bereavement. We recognize in those who now are lost to this chamber, men who had been chosen by the people under our democracy to represent them in this house of parliament.
To deal with the loss which the Social Credit party has sustained is quite beyond me except to say that I knew Doctor Hall by reputation. He resided at Edmonton, two hundred miles north of Calgary. His coming
into this house to support the movement in which he believed was not unexpected when he received the nomination of his party. His careful attention to the debates in this house and his manifest intention at all times to make every possible contribution to the cause which he had espoused distinguished him as it does all those who so enthusiastically support their party. I trust I may be permitted on behalf of myself and those with whom I am associated to express my sympathy and sorrow.
To speak of the other two members who have left us is a task, if I may use that word, of great magnitude. Simon Fraser Tolmie had been known to me for many years. His father came to British Columbia by way of the isthmus of Panama. When I last saw Doctor Tolmie in his bed at the old farm not far from the centre of the city of Victoria he told me that he was born in that room; and in that room he died. He was born in the year of confederation, and had reached the age of seventy years.
Doctor Tolmie had a genius for friendship that few men have. He had a sense of humour and a ready wit. In the very nature of things his love of animals and of the land made him a respected and almost revered friend of agriculturists and cattle raisers. I think the tribute paid to him at his funeral in Victoria-I was not present but I read it- was as impressive a manifestation of grief on behalf of the people as could possibly be conceived. He was a friend of all men, and all men were his friends. It is not often that one may say that with sincerity.
He rendered two notable services to Canada. As Minister of Agriculture he had the courage to take steps that resulted in the eradication of mange from the prairies and ranges of western Canada. The steps that he took at that time caused much criticism, but he was determined to see the matter through, and he did. The result was that mange disappeared from our ranges.
The second service that he rendered to this country was of a different character. It must be known to all that for many years England declined to receive our cattle; an embargo had been placed against them on the ground of their health. When the matter was being discussed on one occasion at a meeting of the war cabinet in England an undertaking was given that this embargo would be removed at the termination of hostilities. This in passing enables me to pay a tribute to one whose memory is sometimes forgotten, the late Hon. Robert Rogers. He insisted at that time that the memorandum should be

Tributes to Deceased Members
incorporated in the minutes of the meeting, and the extending of that minute on the record of the day's proceedings was the basis upon which subsequent action was taken by the British government to remove the embargo.
It will be within the memory of the house, Mr. Speaker, that the government in England was loath to permit our cattle to enter that country. The Minister of Agriculture, afterwards Lord Ernie, took a very strong view against us. I recall the debates in the House of Lords at that time. It was upon the investigation of the matter by a small commission, of which the late Lord Finlay was a member, that Doctor Tolmie rendered such conspicuous service to this country. As a veterinary surgeon he had special and expert knowledge. When he had concluded dealing with the matter it was the judgment of Lord Finlay and those associated with 'him on that commission that nothing more remained to be said. By these two distinctive services that he rendered to our country Doctor Tolmie has placed us under a debt and obligation that will not soon be forgotten.
He had no desire for the limelight of public life. The Prime Minister has very properly remarked upon his modesty in that regard. He became head of his party in British Columbia and subsequently premier of that province, but it was with a reluctance that was amazing. As he frequently said to me, he felt he would be happier in the discharge of the duties that he was so eminently qualified to discharge as Minister of Agriculture. I think he was happier in Ottawa than in any other part of the world. He was at his happiest at the University club, surrounded by his friends.
Doctor Tolmie will be greatly missed in that part of Canada in which he lived". He will be greatly missed by those who knew him as I was privileged to know him, by those who understood something of his fine qualities of heart and mind. His generous, open-hearted attitude toward life and material things made it impossible for him to accumulate anything during his lifetime. One might almost say of him, as was said of Pitt, that he lived without ostentation, and he died poor.
I wonder if members of this chamber realize how difficult it is for me to speak at any length or adequately of the Right Hon. Sir George Perley. I knew him as a member of parliament, as chief whip of his party, as.N a minister of the crown, as high commissioner, and as a colleague. An English writer said not long ago that it is very difficult to analyze the qualities that go into the making 
of a character. Sir George Perley inherited an instinct for business and for public service. He manifested his tendencies for business by actively entering upon the discharge of the duties that fell upon him on the death of his father, in connection with the properties that he inherited. His love for public seryice he manifested by offering himself for election, facing defeat on two occasions, and ultimately being returned seven times by a Quebec constituency while he himself was a resident of Ontario. Reviewing many statements that he made to me from time to time with respect to his own life, I think perhaps he found more satisfaction than in anything else in the thought that he had the confidence and support of the electors of a Quebec county while he himself resided in Ontario.
The combination of qualities that distinguished the Right Hon. Sir George Perley is not often met with in ordinary life. It is not a common thing to find a man of affairs, a man of very high attainments in the business world, willing and ready to give such service as he gave to the state. The distinctive attribute in the discharge of his public duties was thoroughness. I have seen him acting as minister for almost every department of the public service, and the thoroughness and method with which he carried out his duties were so commendable and so complete that I sometimes wish that every member of government had had an opportunity to study his approach to public business. He regarded the public purse as one would regard a private purse; he regarded public business as he would regard his personal business; and he brought to bear on the problems he had to meet in the discharge of public business the same consideration that he would have given to them had they been purely a private affair. Obviously that is not and never has been in Canada the most popular method of approach, but Sir George Perley insisted upon its being followed in his dealings with the various departments that he administered.
It is, of course, well known that when Sir Robert Borden formed his administration in 1911 he desired Sir George Perley to accept office as head of a department. That, at the moment, he was unwilling to do, and so he became minister without portfolio; but I know that at one time he was acting minister for five, if not seven, departments. His capacity for work was amazing-simply amazing. Those of my colleagues who recall him as Acting Prime Minister have some appreciation of his capacity for toil, for sustained hard work, for thoroughness and patience in the discharge of his parliamentary and public duties.

Tributes to Deceased Members
All this is the public side of a public man. But there was George Perley the man, who was my friend, faithful and true, loyal and devoted, of whom it is so difficult to speak. -He was a man of great tolerance, of quiet generosity, one who contributed to social services without publicity. He gave a great building here in memory of his father and mother, to help those who are stricken as they move on through life. That was partly personal and yet an important part of the public side of the man. There was a quality that characterized his judgments, his counsel, his appraisals of others, which may be indicated by what I well recall his saying about a certain person of whom criticisms were being offered-"Ah well, you know, after all he may not be too bad." Always there was the thought that there was some good thing that could be said, and this quality was so often manifested in his private utterances.
His friendships were many. I think the loss by death of Sir Robert Borden affected him deeply, because, while not the same age, they had been closely associated in public life and public office, in sport, and in intimate family life.
I do think, Mr. Speaker, that what the Prime Minister said a moment ago should not be forgotten. It is well that fitting tribute should be paid when distinguished service has been rendered to the state by one who occupied such a place that it was unnecessary for him to seek public office in order to establish his position in the community in which he lived; for had Sir George Perley never held public office he would have been respected and admired and esteemed by his community. He was an Ottawa man. When the great fire occurred across the river in Hull, and it became necessary to solicit public subscriptions to help the sufferers, they pressed Sir George Perley to be chairman so that the administration of the funds might be beyond question, and that all those entitled to receive benefit from the generosity of a contributing public might do so. He was a man of integrity, and of rectitude, with a high sense of honour and a never-failing dignity. But in his personal life and in association with friends, his was the genuine nature of youth, and it was that boyish disposition that kept him ever young; for although he had attained the age of eighty years, none of us sitting here and looking at him could have thought for a moment that he had passed three score.
He has gone, Mr. Speaker, but he has left behind him an imperishable memory, a record
of such varied achievements that the mere mention of them makes it seem almost incredible that they could have been accomplished by one man-member of parliament, chief whip of his party, minister of the crown, high commissioner, an overseas minister, a plenipotentiary at the signing of peace treaties, a member of the war cabinet; and the very large number of private enterprises, charitable, philanthropic and social, with which he was connected during all those years, I shall not trespass on the time of the house to name. But it is well that we should pause and think of one who served this country well, whose name was never touched by the breath of scandal or by the suspicion of failure in any respect of one who maintained the high standards of rectitude and integrity that he has left us.
Sir George Perley has left behind him, as I say, an imperishable memory, not only of the public service upon which he entered as a young man, but a memory in the hearts of all who knew him. The door-man at the hotel said to me, "You have lost a great man." I said "Yes." And he added that a friend to whom he was speaking said, "They don't make them that way now." "Ah," the other replied, "but it took seventy-five years to make him." There is great truth in that. He was the product of hereditary conditions, of environment and of great traditions. His life has left us the richer; and I agree with what the Prime Minister has said, that we should not mourn but rather rejoice that such a life has been given to us in all its amplitude of service, rendered modestly and quietly, and all its magnificant unselfish regard for others, without ostentation, without publicity. He served his day and generation; he departed without pain or sadness, though with a suddenness that has left a shock in the hearts of all who knew him; for I think few of us can realize, as from day to day we go about our tasks, that he has left us. I believe the words I can best use with respect to him were those that were given to me by one of my fellow members yesterday. They are these:
Not stirring words, nor gallant deeds alone, Plain, patient work fulfilled that length of life;
Duty, not glory-Service, not a throne, Inspired his effort, set for him the strife.


Mr. J. S. WOODSWORTH (Winnipeg North Centre):: Mr. Speaker, I think there is nothing that can usefully be added at this time. I simply desire to associate my colleagues and myself with these words of esteem

Tributes to Deceased Members
for our fellow members who have passed on. Doctor Tolmie, of course, and Sir George Perley had become almost institutions in this country. I need not add anything to the tributes which have been paid them except a personal word. Perhaps Sir George Perley was great above all other things in his kindness and consideration towards those about him. I can very well recall that in my first days in this house, he took the trouble to introduce some of us, who were at that time, younger members, into life here at Ottawa. I am not going to say anything with regard to other members whom I did not know personally so well. I am glad that, despite gome of the rather sombre reflections which may come at a time like this, we do occasionally have opportunities when we can say good of one another rather than pass adverse criticisms. We desire simply to extend our sympathy to the bereaved families of our colleagues.


Mr. J. H. BLACKMORE (Lethbridge):: Mr. Speaker, I have thought several times this afternoon, while listening to the words and enjoying the quiet and sympathetic tones of those who have spoken, what a beautiful thing humanity is when it is at its best. An occasion such as this is one of the rare occasions when humanity is at its best. The Prime Minister (Mr. Mackenzie King) and the leader of the opposition (Mr. Bennett) can, I think, scarcely realize how good their kindly attitude towards their fellow members is, how it pleases and reassures us in times like these.
We of this group	are	not	very	wellacquainted with the	men	who	are	beingmourned to-day. We have to depend upon what others tell us, what we have read in the Parliamentary Guide	and	what	we	havelearned here. Mr. Ryan and Mr. Verville were comparatively young	men.	The	fine
edifice of life and service for which each had laid the plan had only been completed enough to indicate the dimensions and nature of the structure; then these men were stricken and taken from our midst. Such comfort as we can find in a situation like this is, I think, rather well hinted im Robert Louis Stevenson's noble words:
To travel hopefully is better than to arrive; and the true success is to labour.
Mr. Cameron, I conclude from what I have learned of him, must have been a strong, courageous, hopeful fighter, one who by careful and persistent self-discipline had acquired the ability to look through the darkest and most threatening gloom and glimpse signs of

the silver lining. I fancy it was such a man as he that Browning had in mind when he wrote those inspiring words:
One who never turned his back but marched breast forward,
Never doubted clouds would break,
Never dreamed, though right were worsted, wrong would triumph,
Held we fall to rise, are baffled to fight better,
Sleep to wake.
With the leader of the opposition I agree that it is quite impossible for one who is new to this house to have as complete sympathy as one desires to have, because we can really sympathize only with those through whose experiences we have gone. We have never known what it is to pass through what the leader of the opposition has passed through in the loss of these good men.
To few, indeed, is it permitted to attain the age of eighty years. Of Sir George Perley it can truly be said that he was "full of years." Listening to the words of the Prime Minister and of the leader of the opposition, recounting the many acts which Sir George had performed, the many offices he had filled, and the honour he had gained, I felt we could also say that he died as full of honour as of years. They tell me he was buried in Ottawa; in this city his honour was striven for and gained. It is fitting, therefore, that in this city his remains should rest. The thought of him brought to my mind those fine words of Robert Louis Stevenson, when he was contemplating his own decease:
Under the wide and starry sky,
Dig the grave and let me lie.
Glad did I live, and gladly die,
And I laid me down with a will.
This be the verse you grave for me:
Here he lies where he longed to be;
Home is the sailor, home from sea,
And the hunter home from the hill.
The Hon. Doctor Tolmie was a man whom I had heard a great deal of as I had heard of Sir George Perley before I came here. I believe he was known favourably far and wide throughout Canada. I read about him, in the Parliamentary Guide, a passage which it seems to me it might not be unfair to him to read into Hansard:
A farmer and breeder of pure bred live stock. President Dominion Holstein Breeders; B.C. Vety. Assn.; B.C. Holstein Breeders; Chief Inspector Health of Animals Branch, B.C.; Representative Dominion Live Stock Commissioner for British Columbia. Mem. Pacific and Union Clubs, Victoria, University Club, Ottawa.
A Unionist. First elected to H. of C. at g.e., 1917. Sworn of the Privy Council and apptd. Minister of Agriculture, Aug. 2, 1919. Reelected after assuming office, Oct. 27, 1919. Upon the formation of the Meighen adminis-

The Late Sir Robert Borden
tration, July 13, 1920, following the resignation of Sir Robert Borden, was re-apptd. Minister of Agriculture. Retired from office with the Meighen Government, Dec. 1921. Re-elec, to H. of C. g.e., 1921; Apptd. Dominion Organizer for the Conservative party in Aug., 1923; reelec. to H. of C. g.e., Oct. 1925. Apptd. Min. of Agriculture, July 13, 1926.
No one needs to grieve overmuch because this man has been taken away. For us, I think there is cause for genuine regret. In a time when the farmer is more in need of sympathy than ever before in our history, in a time when possibly the west needs more sympathy and understanding than ever before in the history of Canada it seems untimely that this man, who understood the farmer and sympathized with him, who understood and sympathized with the west, should be called away. But in this matter, as in all others, we have to bow to the will of Him who doeth all things well.
It was -comforting indeed to us to hear the kind expressions regarding Doctor Hall. One of the first things that c-ame to my mind when I thought of Doctor Hall, looking back over his life, was a fine passage that appears in Drinkwater's play, Abraham Lincoln. Speaking of Abraham Lincoln, one of the chroniclers said:
Shall a man understand,
He shall know bitterness because his kind, Being perplexed of mind,
Hold issues even that are nothing mated. And he shall give
Counsel out of his wisdom that none shall hear; And steadfast in vain persuasion must he live, And unabated Shall his temptation be.
Of course, the loss of Doctor Hall was a painful shook to us. It has been written, "Where there is no vision the people perish." Singularly fortunate, I believe, are those people in the minds of whose older men vision comes. This man was one of a large class of elderly people in Canada, whose careful studies of realities have convinced them, first, that a change must come, and, second, -that that change must take the shape of monetary reform. Once convinced, Doctor Hall courageously decided. The risk to his business and professional well-being he disregarded, and -plunged industriously and firmly into the fight for a safer and more prosperous Alberta and Canada. In the struggle he spared neither time nor energy nor wealth. He became one of the first and foremost social credit leaders through-out Edmonton and the north. The more clearly -men- come to see the meaning of our times, the -more they will realize that in a great and -righteous cause the good doctor strove well and died striving. We have known and will remember our colleague, Doctor Hall,
for -his wise counsel, tolerant nature, and devotion to his family, to his church and to his country.



THE LATE SIR ROBERT BORDEN

William Lyon Mackenzie King: Mr. Speaker, I need not remind the house of the loss which our country sustained in the death, in June last year, of the Right Hon. Sir Robert Borden. From October, 1911, to July, 1920, Sir Robert Borden was Prime Minister of Canada, a period of nine years, all but three months, years which included those of the great war with their exceptional anxieties and responsibilities.
When Sir Robert resigned the office of Prime Minister he intimated that he intended to relinquish his part in active politics, and as a consequence, when parliament dissolved in 1921, he ceased to be a member of this house. Sir Robert Borden had been a member for twenty-five years, and was sixty-seven years of age at the time of his retirement.
Though Sir Robert ceased in 1921 to be a member of parliament he did not cease to be interested in politics or to take an active part in public affairs. Indeed, the period of retirement which followed his activities in parliament afforded him an opportunity to place at the service of those who sought his counsel the great experience which he had gained in public life. His retirement gave him also an opportunity to devote his time and talent to the great causes which he had so much at heart.
In those years, I believe, Sir Robert found the real reward of the sacrifices which his earlier public services had entailed, for they gave -to him not only -the opportunities I have just mentioned, but they also afforded, what a man inevitably sacrifices in the course of great public duty, namely, opportunity for the quiet enjoyment of personal friendships and a chance to pursue with a degree of thoroughness not otherwise possible cultural interests; as well as many forms of public service. Those years of retirement were years of freedom and calm. They were shared with Lady Borden at their home, Glensmere, in this city, where together they enjoyed the beauty of its surroundings, its lovely view of the Rideau river, the society of their personal friends and the activities of the capital with which Sir Robert's life had been so intimately associated. Sir Robert there, too, regained in large part the health and strength which had been considerably impaired during the time he was in office.
The eventide of Sir Robert's life was not, ere its close, without its glow upon the horizon.

The Late Sir Robert Borden
It must have been deeply gratifying to him to have lived to see the time when, despite the differences of view there were and will always be with respect to some of the acts and policies of his administrations, he had nevertheless gained a place in the esteem of his fellow countrymen which was altogether above party, and had won a position of honour not only in his own country but throughout the empire, and that his name was held in high regard in other countries as well.
I shall not say more. Sir Robert's life and work are already a part of the history of this country. There is moreover very little, if anything, which could be added to the many and deeply sincere tributes which have been paid his memory in this and other lands. I have felt, however, that hon. members of this house would wish to have recorded in the proceedings of this parliament some expression of the sense of the loss which, as representatives of the people of Canada in the House of Commons, we feel our country has sustained in the passing of a great Canadian who for twenty-five years was a member of this house, for nineteen years, the leader of the Conservative party in this country, and for nearly nine years the Prime Minister of Canada. Sir Robert's name will find an enduring place among those of our land who have sought to serve parliament, their party and their country and who have done so with outstanding devotion and high distinction. His name will find its place also among the names of world statesmen who had to do with empire councils at a time of war, and whose memories will be associated with Versailles and Geneva, and with the beginnings of the League of Nations.
It will, I am sure, be the wish of this house, that you, Mr. Speaker, convey to Lady Borden, who for almost half a century shared so fully and sympathetically the struggles and the achievements of Sir Robert's career, the expression of the sincere sympathy which is felt for her by all hon. members.


Richard Bedford Bennett: Mr. Speaker, when the
Right Hon. Prime Minister (Mr. Mackenzie King) suggested that the course he has taken should be followed this day, I felt that those of us who sit here are under a debt of obligation to him for having so publicly stated the claim of the late Sir Robert Borden on the regard and esteem of the Canadian people. Perhaps I knew Sir Robert Borden longer than any member of this house. He had one characteristic that marked him from his younger days, that is he was a man of infinite patience. I have never known a more patient

man. I think there is one, perhaps more than one, hon. member of this chamber who was associated with him in government and who knows how patient he was with respect to matters that affected his country. He was a great lawyer, a great constitutional lawyer, an<T~I venture to believe that, with the possible exception of Sir John Thompson, who ranked with him, no man who has ever discharged the duties of first minister of this country could prepare so excellent a state paper. I think that can be said with truth.
It was charged at times that Sir Robert Borden was indecisive. The truth is that he was cautious almost to the point of indecision, but once his mind was set, once he had arrived at a conclusion-sometimes taking a very long time to do it, weighing the pros and cons with great thought and care-nothing diverted him from his purpose. Once he had made up his mind that he was following the correct" and proper course he was almost relentless in the pursuit of his purpose. He was jealous of this country and its honour and reputation. We have not produced a stronger Canadian. At times of stress and strain, when difficulties were multiplying, he never for a moment lessened his support- nay more, his advocacy-of the claims of this country to a measure of consideration that sometimes was denied and ofttimes questioned. Our position with respect to the peace treaty I frankly think we owe entirely to Sir Robert Borden. Those of us who know something of the attitude which he took, the manner in which he supported his views, and the vigour and strength of his advocacy, will realize what a debt the Canadian people owe to him with respect to the position of Canada at the negotiation of the treaty of Versailles.
Although I was a supporter of his government, I differed from him with respect to the railway problem of this country. But that did not in any sense interfere with our personal or political friendship. The last political speech that he made, as far as I recall, was made on behalf of the party with which I am associated, on the same platform as myself. During the long hard years in which we held office I think a week did not go by when I was in Canada that he did not either ring me up or send me a note about some matter which struck him as worthy of comment. When he was in the United States he frequently sent me clippings for consideration.
I agree with everything the Prime Minister has said; Sir Robert's last years, the years of calm, of reflection, of honoured position in the community where he was almost an oracle,

Civil Service Act-Language Qualification
were the happiest of his life. I saw him in his Gethsemane; for like most men he had to undergo not only violent criticism but worse during the years between 1908 and 1911. But he bore it with patience that was amazing and with fortitude that was exceptional. That during all those dark days he faced his troubles so valiantly was in large measure due to the fact that he found in Lady Borden a helpmeet in the truest and best sense in which that term is used in Holy Writ. She was a tower of strength in those dark days, even as she was a well of inspiration in the happier days that followed.
I am deeply grateful, not only on my own behalf but also on behalf of those who are associated with me here this day, Mr. Speaker, that the Prime Minister has seen fit to express not on behalf of a party but on behalf of the people of Canada their sense of obligation, of appreciation and of thankfulness that God in his wisdom and mercy gave us such a leader at such a time, who was enabled by strength of purpose to give effect to firm determination with respect to the position of this country and its relation to the other communities of the world, apart altogether from the agonizing effort through which he went during the long years of the war.
It may well be that later in the history of some parliament some other recognition may be accorded to the memory of so great a man, but one thing is certain, that on the bead-roll of fame his name among Canadians will occupy a very high place, revered, respected and honoured, not only by his own day and generation and by succeeding generations of Canadians but by men and women who in his life of effort see evidence of a great goodwill on the part of a man who endeavoured- sometimes, he used to think, with great uncertainty-to bring about the creation of a league of nations by which great aggregations of people would be able to settle their differences by recourse to tribunals, even as man emerging from the state of savagery has been able to set up tribunals with which to settle his differences with his neighbours.
For that cause he laboured. He believed in it until the end, and if it failed it was through no fault of his. It has not yet failed, for as long as the idea prevails that nations may settle their disputes as individual citizens of nations settle theirs, his memory as an exponent of that great cause will endure amongst the peoples of the world.


John Horne Blackmore: Mr. Speaker, we desire to associate ourselves with the views already expressed. I believe this man was worthy of all that has been said.
On motion of Mr. Mackenzie King the house adjourned at 4.55 p.m.
Monday, January 31, 1938