1942-01-21

MESSAGE FROM THE GOVERNOR GENERAL'S SECRETARY

Mr. SPEAKER:: I have the honour to inform the house that I have received the following message:
Ottawa, January 6, 1942.
Sir:
I have the honour to inform you that the Right Hon. Sir Lyman Poore Duff, G.C.M.G., acting as the deputy of His Excellency the Governor General, will proceed to the Senate chamber on Wednesday, January 21, 1942, at 8.10 p.m., for the purpose of proroguing the present session of parliament.
I have the honour to be, sir,
Your obedient servant,
F. L. C. Pereira, Assistant Secretary to the Governor General.



VACANCIES

Georges Parent: 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 Right Hon. Ernest Lapointe, member for the electoral district of Quebec East, by decease;	.
Of Arthur B. Damude, Esquire, member for the electoral district of Welland, by decease;
Of Hermas Deslauriers, Esquire, member for the electoral district of St. Mary, by decease;
Of Alan Cockeram, Esquire, member for the electoral district of York South, by resignation.
I accordingly issued my several warrants to the chief electoral officer to make out new writs of election for the said electoral districts, respectively.



CONTROVERTED ELECTIONS ACT


Georges Parent: I have the honour to inform the house that I have received from the Honourable Mr. Justice E. Fabre-Surveyer and the Honourable Mr. Justice Errol M. McDougall, two of the judges of the Superior Court of Quebec selected for the trial of election petitions pursuant to the Dominion Controverted Elections Act, notes of judgment rendered by the said judges relating to the election for the electoral district of Stanstead.



RIGHT HON. ERNEST LAPOINTE TRIBUTES TO THE MEMORY OF THE LATE MINISTER OF JUSTICE

Right Hon. W. L. MACKENZIE KING (Prime Minister):: Mr. Speaker, since we last assembled here the membership of this House of Commons, of parliament itself, and indeed the public life of Canada, has sustained a loss than which, over many years, none has been so great. It is a loss which comes particularly close to every member of the chamber; but by no one other than by the hon. member for Lotbiniere (Mr. Hugues Lapointe) could it be felt more deeply than by myself. Of the loss to this house, the vacant seat at my side is more eloquent than words could be.
The Right Hon. Ernest Lapointe whose death we so greatly mourn to-day was the senior member of the House of Commons. Mr. Lapointe entered the house as member for Kamouraska in 1904, and had been a member ever since. Upon the death of the Right Hon. Sir Wilfrid Laurier in 1919 Mr. Lapointe succeeded Sir Wilfrid as member for Quebec East. At the time of his death

Right Hon. Ernest Lapointe
Mr. Lapointe had been a member of this House of Commons continuously for nearly thirty-eight years. During recent years he had no superior, and few if any equals, in parliament. He enjoyed the respect, the admiration and in no small degree the affection of members of all parties. He was regarded by Canadians everywhere as a great Canadian.
Mr. Winston Churchill is fond of describing [DOT]himself as a child of the House of Commons. That apt description of himself might, in equal justice, have been applied to Ernest Lapointe. He was a child of the Canadian House of Commons, learned in its principles, its procedure, and fully seized of its meaning to the nation.
When he came,here first as member for Kamouraska, Quebec, he set himself the hard and honourable task of mastering the ways of the house, and of perfecting himself in the use of the English language. So well did he succeed in both particulars that no one possessed wider understanding and knowledge of parliament, and its authority, or greater capacity for debate in both official languages, than the late Minister of Justice.
In his public life, Mr. Lapointe maintained throughout the highest standards of personal and political integrity. In politics, as in all else, he was incapable of underhand methods or of any form of meanness. He despised cunning and subterfuge, self-advertisement, and, above all, anything that savoured of arrogance, intolerance and coercion. He loved liberty, and fought valiantly to defend its principles and to broaden its bounds. Every worthy cause had in him a fearless champion. His sympathies were with the people in their struggle for constitutional and economic freedom. He was ever solicitous of the rights of minorities and of the welfare of those in humble circumstances.
Mr. Lapointe was the most unselfish of men, as he was also the most chivalrous and patriotic. His natural talent, his gift of eloquence, and the charm of his personality, would have won for him the highest place in any profession he had chosen to follow. He preferred to forgo entirely the security which the practice of the legal profession might have brought to his family and himself, and to devote practically the whole of his life to the service of his country. For himself, he sought . no personal preferment or recognition, but was ever ready with praise and encouragement for others. What perhaps is greater than all else, and what more than all else served, to reveal the noble patriotism which inspired his life throughout, is the personal sacrifice at which his great services were given to his country.
With his great abilities and endowments, Lapointe, had he been so minded, might have accumulated, if not a personal fortune, at least sufficient of this world's goods to have enabled him to look forward to years of comparative leisure, freed from the strain of public life and the anxiety it brings with it with respect to health and fortune. To the end of his days he chose, instead, to devote his great talents entirely to his country's services.
Time and time again, although his health was not without some impairment by the years of strain he had already endured, he put out of his mind all thought of respite, retirement, or reward, and chose to continue his membership in this House of Commons, in order that, if spared by Providence, he might continue to take to the end his place in the forefront of battle. Here, to my mind, is-evidence of true greatness and of the noblest type of character.
Law, as we all know, was his chosen profession. Such practice of his profession as he enjoyed was with him merely a stepping stone to the wider field of service to the state in the parliament of his country. Had he given to the practice of law the time and energy which he devoted to politics and public affairs, his name would, I believe, have found its place in the list of distinguished jurists who have occupied the highest judicial positions in our country.
Had circumstances been but very little different, he would, I believe, most certainly have achieved the highest position in political life. When the Liberal convention of 1919 was held, Lapointe had been for fifteen years a member of parliament, having sat continuously as a member since 1904. He had had much parliamentary experience, and spoke fluently in both languages, and was recognized as an outstanding leader in parliament. I myself had had but a very few years of parliamentary experience. Though elected in 1908, and in the house until 1911, I was without a seat in the house between 1911 and 1919. I had not a seat in parliament at the time the convention was held. Despite his longer parliamentary experience and his stronger claims, Lapointe resolutely refused to allow his friends to put his name forward at the convention, and, instead, supported my candidature. From that time on, he gallantly accepted the role of lieutenant and associate, which, to the end, he filled with unswerving loyalty and magnificent devotion.
I like to feel that we shared together the succession of Laurier. While to me came the high honour of succeeding Laurier in the
Right Hon. Ernest Lapointe


Hon. R. B. HANSON (Leader of the Opposition):: Mr. Speaker, we have all listened with great respect and emotion to the eloquent tribute which my right hon. friend (Mr. Mackenzie King) has paid to the memory of his friend and our colleague. May I be permitted in my own humble way to add a brief word by way of tribute to a man whom I always respected but with whom I was not so intimately associated.
In endeavour and achievement, the brilliant career of the Right Hon. Ernest Lapointe is, in many respects, unique in the political and parliamentary history of Canada.
Bom in a country district, in the rural countiy of Kamouraska in the province of Quebec, some sixty-five years ago, without any inherited advantages beyond those common to many another country boy, by industry and native ability he successively attained the status of leading advocate in the city of Riviere du Loup, King's Counsel at the age of thirty-two, member of parliament for his native county and for Quebec East for thirty-seven years, minister of the crown for fifteen years, holding the high and important Justice portfolio for a longer period than any of his predecessors, and dean of the House of Commons-a record of achievement attained in Canada by but few, if any. And, finally, in 1937 he was sworn of His Majesty's Imperial Privy Council, probably the highest honour at present open to any Canadian subject of His Majesty.
On the death of the Right Hon. Sir Wilfrid Laurier, the mantle of that great Canadian as
leader of our French-Canadian compatriots fell, by common consent, upon the shoulders of Mr. Lapointe; and throughout his career he carried that mantle with distinction and with credit both to himself and to his own people.
During the years of his service in the ministry of this dominion he had the privilege of participating in many international, imperial and dominion conferences; and he won for himself international recognition.
Although I did not have the honour of meeting him until after I had entered parliament in 1921, I recall that on the occasion of the Liberal convention in 1919, to which my right hon. friend has alluded, when my right hon. friend was elected to the leadership of the Liberal party, Mr. Lapointe made a speech which in my mind at least marked him as an outstanding figure in the ranks of his party; and his inclusion in any ministry formed under Liberal auspices was accepted by the country as a matter of course.
During my tenure of office in this house, he was unfailingly courteous in debate to me personally and I believe to all of the members of this house. At times his utterances rose to heights of eloquence all too rarely heard nowadays in this chamber.
In our views on political questions we were probably as far apart as it was possible to be. This was quite natural, since we were reared and educated in quite different schools of political thought. But I cherish the belief that while he held firmly to his own views on great political questions and problems, he accorded to the views of others, no matter how strongly and sincerely he disagreed with them, the same respect which he expected should be accorded to his own convictions.
I regarded as one of his most outstanding speeches the one which he delivered in this parliament on March 31, 1939, on the question of Canada's neutrality in war time. At that time I did not have the honour of a seat in this house, but I recall having read that speech with more than ordinary interest, profit and appreciation. On many occasions I quite frankly disagreed with his concept and interpretation of Canada's constitutional position. But I say in all truth and sincerity that because of that speech, I was prepared to and did forgive him much of what I considered to be heterodox. I warmly commend portions of that speech to all thoughtful students of the Canadian constitution and of our relations in the British commonwealth.
His life and his life's work are too near to enable us, his contemporaries, properly to appraise his place in Canadian history. But
Right Hon. Ernest Lapointe

one feature stands out prominently throughout his life and career, one that now redounds and will forever stand to his honour and credit-his intense love for his native land.
To my right hon. friend and to those associated with him I extend our sincere sympathy in the great loss which he personally and his party in this house and the country have sustained. One by one the oaks fall. Their passing is a challenge to all of us to hold high the standards which our predecessors have raised in this country.
To Madame Lapointe and to the immediate members of his family I extend also our sincere sympathy. I recall the pride with which he witnessed his son take his seat as a member of this house in 1940 and, at the first session of this parliament, rise in his place to move the address in reply to the speech from the throne. At that time I offered to Mr. Lapointe my personal congratulations in the words of a great imperial statesman on a similar occasion in the imperial parliament: "It was a speech which must have been dear and refreshing to a father's heart." And I recall with pleasure the note of thanks which he subsequently sent to me.
To these, his loved ones, we offer sincerely and respectfully these expressions of solace and sympathy.


Mr. M. J. COLDWELL (Rosetown-Biggar):: Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the group with which I am associated I join in the expressions of sympathy for the family of the late Right Hon. Ernest Lapointe and of regret that he has been taken from us in the midst of this period of crisis and of tragedy. We may not always have agreed with him, but every member of the house, as has been already said, recognized his sincerity, his integrity, and his love for the Dominion of Canada.
We realize that in his passing Canada has lost one of her most outstanding sons, and we join with other members of the house in an expression of regret at his passing and of appreciation of the good work that he has done for all the people of this dominion. We express, too, our sympathy with the Right Hon. the Prime Minister (Mr. Mackenzie King); for he has suffered, we know, a personal loss which is greater perhaps than we realize.
On behalf of our group, therefore, I join in the expressions of sympathy to his bereaved family and friends. We trust that Madame Lapointe especially may be sustained in the great loss which she has suffered.


Mr. J. H. BLACKMORE (Lethbridge):: Mr. Speaker, perhaps very few statesmen of

the British commonwealth of nations have had, on their passing, such beautiful things said about them as have been said to-day by the various speakers concerning the Right Hon. Mr. Lapointe. It is greatly to his credit that there is in all of these expressions no statement which appears to be an exaggeration.
Members of my group desire to join with those of other groups and parties in the house in sincere sympathy with the Prime Minister (Mr. Mackenzie King) in the loss he has sustained, in heartfelt condolence with the members of the late Mr. Lapointe's family in their bereavement, and in high appreciation of the great life of a very good man.


Hon. P. J. A. CARDIN (Minister of Public Works) (Translation):: Mr. Speaker, I wish to add a few words in French to the tributes which have just been registered in the political history of this country by the leaders of our various political parties. The unanimity of sentiment and of sorrow expressed by these political leaders clearly indicates the extent of the respect the late minister enjoyed in this house and of the prestige he exercised throughout Canada. The tributes justly paid to the great memory of the Right Hon. Ernest Lapointe will, I am sure, bring some consolation to the members of his family and some alleviation of their grief.
On this side of the house we have heard the Prime Minister (Mr. Mackenzie King) express praise and regret on behalf of those who are saddened by the loss of a leader whom they loved, respected and supported. On the other side of the chamber political opponents have in all sincerity paid tribute to the memory of the great man who is no more and have, across all political barriers, acknowledged the merit and the worth of the man who had long been the recognized and respected leader of French Canada. From all sides the worth of the great man whom we mourn is admitted. Everywhere all hearts were saddened by the premature death of so important and respected a man as Right Hon. Ernest Lapointe. Today all of us, Liberals, Conservatives and members of the other political groups, are, so to speak, united around the grave of this great man, exchanging fraternal handshakes and consoling one another on the loss of a big brother.
Mr. Lapointe's career and his success in public life show what can be accomplished in a country governed and directed by the spirit of our democratic institutions for which we are now fighting.
Born of humble parents, educated in a college of his native province, Mr. Lapointe climbed all the rungs of the social and political ladder to become one of the most eminent men, not only of Canada, but of the world. It is the

Right Hon. Ernest Lapointe
democratic system that has made possible the development of this great mind, that has permitted this man of lowly origin to attain so high a place in the political sphere and do so much good to his fellow-citizens. Today, I repeat, in a deep feeling of brotherliness we console one another. Let us all hope that this brotherly spirit which animates us at present will continue throughout the difficult times which lie ahead, so that we may preserve the great spirit of national unity which is so necessary to Canada and which was so dear to the man whom we now mourn.
Mr. Speaker, I heartily subscribe to the sentiments expressed by those who have spoken before me. With deep emotion I bend in thought over this great tomb and mingle my sorrow with the' chill rays of our winter sun, which, at this moment illumines with a sad smile the humble corner of Canadian soil where rest in peace most sure the ashes of a great Canadian.
Mr. L.-PHILIPPE PICARD (Bellechasse) (Translation):	Mr. Speaker, I may, at this
moment, use the words of the French writer: "The man whose irretrievable absence leaves in the hearts of those dear to him a void which can never be filled again, was one of the dearest friends fate had bestowed on me," and, shall I add, an incomparable teacher whose acts have been my inspiration as well as an example of civic devotion.
I shall not be alone, Mr. Speaker, to miss this great figure who is no more. All the members of this house, irrespective of political convictions, will feel his absence; this fact is amply proved by the speeches we have just heard. This brave, frank and open face, reflecting all that our race, attached to its soil, has given us of goodness and fortitude, tempered and refined by culture, taste and economic independence, will remain graven in our minds and his memory will hover over this house long after we, who have been fortunate enough to know Mr. Lapointe, have disappeared.
I have, Mr. Speaker, neither the gifts nor the ability to relate his life and draw the useful lessons it could teach us, or to paint a portrait of a man with whom you were so well acquainted that it is useless to endeavour to eulogize him, but I should feel that I had not shown all the friendliness, affection and admiration that I feel towards him, if I restrained from doing homage to his memory even in a very inadequate manner.
It has often been said that at each period of a nation's life some men appear who, whether called or made by circumstances, exemplify national thoughts and aspirations and become the interpreters of their fellowcitizens and, often, determine their evolution. Destiny sets these men up and the people recognize them when their time to serve has come. Such has been the case all through the history of the French-Canadian people. There has always been someone, at the opportune moment, to attract the attention of the masses and acquire the desired degree of ascendancy over them. One such man is now mourned by French Canada. This providential man has gone at the height of his career and at a time when his countrymen were in the greatest need of his stabilizing influence, his support, his advice.
Ever since the advent of our constitutional liberty, very few men have played so great a part as Ernest Lapointe in the development of our national destiny. The first among them, and perhaps the only one to assert himself through combativity and; almost through violence, was the patriot Papineau. The others, Lafontaine, Cartier, Laurier and Lapointe were brought upon the scene through the course of events and they were selected by their fellow-citizens. They were trained political men. They all passed through a more or less lengthy period of gestation. They prepared themselves while remaining constantly in contact with the people, and when their moment came, they brought to the councils of the nation, besides a cultured mind, a deep knowledge of popular reactions, which is an essential equipment for the leaders of a free nation, of an enlightened body of electors.
For Lapointe, that preparatory period was comparatively long, but as it had begun early, he was still young when, in 1916, he brought himself to the attention of the whole country. Three years later, when he became the member for Laurier's constituency in Quebec, he was only forty-three years old, but he already had fifteen years of experience in dominion politics, and the young small-town lawyer, devoted to the interests of his rural electors had become an experienced parliamentarian, quite familiar with matters of national importance.
Lapointe was selected by his fellow-citizens as being the one who best embodied their opinions, their wishes and their mentality, and he preserved to the end those traits that had brought him to their attention; to the end of his life also he never ceased to understand his electors and to interpret their thoughts in matters of public administration.
The knowledge that he was interpreting the opinion of the great majority of his compatriots imparted to him a perfect equanimity and an absolute confidence, even in spite of the petty attacks to which public men are
Right Hon. Ernest Lapointe

exposed. The great concourse of people we saw at his funeral was a most eloquent reply to his bitter though not numerous critics.
Through their deep sorrow, commensurate with the position that Lapointe occupied in our national life, the people recognize the ties that united them to him, and the tragic loss caused by his demise.
As Reverend Father Gaudreault has so aptly said: "When the tragic event became known, it was as if a bolt from the blue had uprooted an oak. And the gap still remains. An oak-tree cannot be replaced in a few days!"
After the eloquent words we have heard, the stirring tributes from the Prime Minister and the Minister of Public Works, there is little more about Lapointe's career to be said1 that has not yet been stressed or remains unknown.
Everyone will admit that Lapointe, of all the parliamentarians, was the most conversant with the rules and customs of the house, the most able to authoritatively point out a precedent to justify an interpretation of the complex procedure. The political life of our country since 1904, was his own life; he knew all the details and this familiarity with the present, was supplemented by a thorough knowledge of Canadian history from the union until the present days.
In the house, he was a redoubtable adversary, first for his ready intelligence and wit, but above all for his historical erudition, his reliable memory and his assiduousness to the meetings of the house during his entire parliamentary career. However, everyone has noticed that, in spite of his eagerness in the fight, in the course of the debate, he had a method of attack all his own which, although very effective, did not leave room for any rancour, but kept the adversary his friend outside of this house.
As for his accomplishments, it would be too much of a task even to outline them, but I would like the members to make it their personal duty to "honour his memory in following the ideals to which he had dedicated his best endeavours."
The utterances, writings, acts, undertakings of Mr. Lapointe, everything that goes to make up his works, must stand as a beacon to guide those who attempt to speak in the name of the French-Canadian race.
(Text) My only excuse for taking a few more minutes of the time of this house is that, over a period of thirty-five years, in fact since my early childhood, I have known the Right Hon. Ernest Lapointe intimately, and that I have been privileged to serve him in the capacity of private secretary during two periods of five years each, from 1925 to 1930 and from

1935 to 1940. Over that time there grew on my part for him not only admiration but devotion and affection, and I would have considered it amiss of these sentiments not to rise to-day, no matter how sad a task it is for me to speak in the past tense of a man who two months ago was yet in this house and who seemed destined to carry on in the line of duty for many years to come.
Upon Ernest Lapointe's first election in Quebec East, in 1919, Toronto Saturday Night stated: .
The province of Quebec has never had a stronger champion-save Sir Wilfrid himself-[DOT] on the floor of parliament than Mr. Lapointe. He possesses the passionate love of his native race which marks so many of his compatriots. He is, however, essentially a Canadian, and not merely a French-Canadian. For that reason, he has the confidence and esteem of his fellow countrymen as a whole.
This was true, Mr. Speaker, and Mr. Lapointe's nationalism was broader than that of the pseudo-nationalist element of his province, one which saw beyond the borders of Quebec and embraced Canadian citizenship with full equal rights and full equal opportunities for all. It was the nationalism of Laurier blossoming forth in harmony with the evolution of the country from colonial-dominion status to that of equal partner with the mother country.
Ernest Lapointe remained true to his racial group, but, as in the case of Laurier, endeavoured to promote their interests by bringing them to the full benefits of a closer association with the rest of Canada on a footing of complete equality. He went far to reach his aim in that he obtained better understanding within his party, and, I may say, even in this house, between the two races, better cooperation, amongst the duly elected representatives of the people. Unfortunately, his life's work, like that of most great men, was not yet completed; it was even in certain parts menaced, when he had to lay down the sword, and much remains to be done to ensure the realization of Laurier's and Lapointe's dreams of a country united by the fraternal spirit of cordial understanding and friendly sharing of our natural inheritance.
I have said before in this house, and I wish to repeat it to-day: There can be no true Canadian sentiment when EnglishJCanadian citizens think in terms of empire and Britain and when French-Canadians consider their province and not Canada as their country. I might also add: There can be no real and effective cooperation as long as the majority keep all the benefits for themselves and give their minority partners the crumbs from the table, the dribbling drops from an overfull

Right Hon. Ernest Lapointe
bucket, and also when the minority does not equip itself better to force the others to recognize its competence. This is part of the problem that was ever present in Lapointe's mind in these last few years, that still remains to be solved and that still demands the energies and good will of those who believe that in its solution lies the ultimate greatness of the country.
Ernest Lapointe's own parliamentary career is a splendid example of the value of preparedness achieved over quite a number of years of obscure work and patient assimilation. It can fee said that from his arrival here, in 1904, he "made his way silently and single-handed to the front", and that after the long early years of training, "he rose by the upward gravitation of natural fitness." His career is also a model of tolerance and understanding because his outlook on all questions was broad and liberal. A champion of fair play, of liberty and of social justice, he was deeply convinced that the democratic institutions, so dearly conquered over intolerance and absolutism, were our most precious heritage, and although he always granted others the right to their opinion, he could never understand as sane the gesture of a free man who decried1 democracy and advocated totalitarianism.
A good lawyer, a brilliant platform speaker, an outstanding statesman, Lapointe .was above all a great parliamentarian, and it is in the House of Commons that he lived most of the great moments of his public life.
Two paragraphs from Sir William Harcourt's speech in the British House of Commons on the occasion of Mr. Gladstone's death, at this moment come naturally to one's mind:
What inspires confidence and sympathy in the midst of conflicting opinion is the belief that a man is acting from sincere conviction, that what he is doing is that which he honestly believes to be for the advantage of his country.
On this count I think all members of this house will agree with me that Ernest Lapointe was most deeply imbued with a sense of civic duty and most deeply conscious of his responsibilities, and that for him the first criterion to be applied to all ideas, to all measures, was their advisability or their timeliness for the good of the country at large, and I may state that all his decisions were motivated by his desire to make Canada a great, prosperous and united country.
There is one more quotation from Sir William Hareourt which I should like to read, because it applies so well to Mr. Lapointe:
He greatly reverenced the House of Commons. He desired to maintain its reputation as the
great organ of the will of a free people. . . . His conduct in the House of Commons, whether in government or in opposition, bore all the marks of a lofty spirit. He respected others as he respected himself and he controlled both by his magnanimity. He was strong but he *was also gentle; he was to us not only a great statesman, but a great gentleman. . . . The House of Commons was greater by his presence, as it is greater by his memory.
I need not say here how heartily I join with those who have spoken this afternoon in offering to Madame Lapointe; their daughter, Madame Ouimet, and their son, my friend and our colleague, Lieutenant Hugues Lapointe, the assurance of my deep sympathy.
In closing, I wish to make mine these words of a great English Liberal leader, Mr. Asquith, on the demise of another great Liberal, Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman:
He has gone to his rest, and to-day in this house, of which he was the senior and most honoured member, we may call a truce in the strife of parties, while we together remember our common loss, and pay our united homage to a gracious and cherished memory.


Mr. H. E. BRUNELLE (Champlain):: In
1933 a large group of citizens of my city of Cap de la Madeleine formed a social and political organization which they called the Club Lapointe. I have the honour of being the president of that club, and, aware as I am of the inspiration which the members derived from their patron, I feel that I might be looked upon as negligent in my duty were I not to say a word of tribute to the memory of the late Minister of Justice, and to express my profound sympathy to his wife and family.
At home a special confidence was placed in the late Minister of Justice, and on this occasion I must crave the privilege of expressing in a humble manner the heartfelt sentiments of my friends. After the eloquent addresses which have been made in this chamber this afternoon, and particularly the address of the Prime Minister (Mr. Mackenzie King), who so kindly and feelingly spoke of his late friend and colleague, the only merit my words can have is that of sincerity.
The Right Hon. Ernest Lapointe died on November 26 last; but the period of time which has elapsed since his passing away has not even begun to make us forget him, and that empty seat before us, where the least imagination makes one still see his genial face and strong, imposing body, is a sight that is both painful and1 depressing. His personality, his broad-mindedness no doubt made a lasting impression upon those who knew him. As one of the members from the province of Quebec, during the six years I have been in this house I have always been glad and proud that he occupied such a high position in the
Right Hon. Ernest Lapointe

government of this nation and such a place of honour in the mind of the Prime Minister of Canada. In the political field as in other fields he practically always met with personal success, and while other statesmen have had at one time or another in their lives to face defeat, he was spared that trial to a great extent. But success and glory never made him look or feel otherwise than modest in his nobility and valour. Successive personal victories did not alter his kind and sensitive heart. During his public career there came from the press of this land, from the press of other countries, from his political foes as well as from his political friends, such praises concerning him as might have made others think that the summit was attained. But such infatuation was unknown to Ernest Lapointe; he simply went his way looking up and looking ahead as though guided simply by the word "Excelsior."
It is my belief that the remembrance of his humble beginnings in life caused him always to prefer simple testimonies of confidence to admiration expressed with a flourish. In reality have not all great men such kind dispositions? In support of this belief may I tell this house of an incident which took place in 1935 when the Right Hon. Mr. Lapointe came to my city of Cap de la Madeleine to address a meeting on my behalf during the election that was then taking place. It was his first appearance in my city. He addressed an immense meeting. In fact, whenever and wherever he was- to speak, the crowd always had the aspect, in numbers and enthusiasm, not of a local, but I might rather say, of a regional or provincial gathering. Before the meeting, while I was accompanying him to the platform through the dense crowd, an elderly and dignified lady managed to get near us and said to me, "I wish I could say a word to, or even touch the minister"; whereupon I told Mr. Lapointe what she had said and he stopped, shook hands with her and spoke to her, ending with these words, which were said with emotion as I saw his lips quiver: "Madame, vous me faites penser a ma mere. Merci." "Madam, you make me think of my mother. Thank you."
A noble heart, a noble thought! And when the greatest of all the great men of the day*, the Right Hon. Winston Churchill, lately having set foot in the United States, saw with his own eyes and felt in his own heart that the whole American continent was thrilled by his presence, when he became aware of the majesty of the reception tendered him he also thought of the one who had given him life, and said, "I wish my mother could have seen this." There was another nobleman, but one who had the same noble thought.

The testimony of confidence by the old lady, to which I have just referred, made a deep impression on the mind of the late Minister of Justice. He did not forget it, although he must have forgotten many other expressions of veneration. He told it to his friends and to some of his colleagues. He told it in my presence. On several occasions afterward, when during sessions I happened to meet him he would ask me in his pleasant way if my people were always of the same faith. Indeed, Mr. Speaker, they were.
May I say in conclusion that the people in my constituency, the people in the province from which I come-yes, the people throughout the whole of Canada, had faith in Ernest Lapointe. On November 26 last, when his death-knell was ringing in the air, making the fatal announcement that that most sympathetic of public figures would no more be seen alive, a cruel chill ran down the backs of thousands and thousands of Canadians who realized that a noble but humble soul had departed. They realized that an honest and ardent apostle of good-will and tolerance had just closed his eyes to the land he served so well, to the people he liked-people who so much needed men such as the late minister and his worthy friend the Prime Minister (Mr. Mackenzie King), two real Canadians, loyal and true to each other who, like Baldwin and Lafontaine, gave us a most admirable example of a united Canada.
Mr. JEAN-FRANgOIS POULIOT (Temis-couata) (Translation):	Mr. Speaker, I have
listened with deep emotion to the speeches delivered by the right hon. Prime Minister (Mr. Mackenzie King), the hon. leader of the opposition (Mr. Hanson) and others of our colleagues in commemoration of the; great man recently deceased, the late Minister of Justice. All these eulogies were eloquently uttered, but they would be but idle words if we failed to piously observe his memory.
Mr. Lapointe was first my friend, then my chief, but he remained my friend after becoming my chief. He did me the honour of often thinking as I did. I could not always think as he did, because the opinions he expressed were not always only his own, but also those of his colleagues.
I tender my heartfelt sympathy to my chief, the Prime Minister of Canada, in the heavy loss he has just sustained. It is sufficient to glance at the newspapers of August, 1919, to see how important a role the regretted Mr. Lapointe played at the Liberal convention held in the city of Ottawa to select a successor to our deceased leader, Sir Wilfrid Laurier. Certain candidates put forward by the financiers

Right Hon. Ernest Lapointe
received a large measure of publicity in the newspapers, but in the room where the delegates assembled, the memory of Sir Wilfrid Laurier was still lingering on. Mr. Lapointe's great success among the delegates from all the provinces in his appeal on behalf of the present leader of the Liberal party was due to his insistence on having them select as leader of their party a man who had been faithful to Laurier, who had never betrayed him, who had followed him in defeat and who was ready to revive this tradition for the good of the party. In thus appealing to the memory of Laurier, Mr. Lapointe contributed more than anyone else to the election of the man who is to-day and, I hope, will long continue to be the Prime Minister of Canada.
Mr. Speaker, it was touching indeed to hear at St. Lin the Minister of Justice's last message to the people of Canada. It was a eulogy of the man who had been his chief, of the man he so greatly admired, of the man under whose orders he had served for fifteen years-seven years while the great leader was in power and eight years while the great leader was in opposition. It was his last message to the Canadian people. We.must never, Sir, forget the memory of the man whose death has left such a void in this House of Commons. The reason why I sometimes followed Mr. Lapointe blindly is that I had confidence in his uprightness, in his integrity, in his afoolute honesty.
During the touching ceremonies that took place on the occasion of the funeral, both in Quebec and Riviere-du-Loup, many things have been said; however, at Riviere-du-Loup, the old parish priest of St. Patrick, a venerable old man, gave expression to thoughts which I shall be allowed, I hope, to repeat at this moment. They were uttered while the remains of our lamented Minister of Justice lay in state in the mortuary chapel at the Riviere-du-Loup City Hall. During his Sunday sermon, Reverend Roy, parish priest of St. Patrick, Riviere-dunLoup, while inviting his parishioners to pray on the remains of the dear departed, added the following words: "He was an outstanding Canadian whose memory we should cherish and bequeath to our descendants. Go, my dear brethren, see him, show *him to your children. For them, as for us, he will become a model of faith and enlightened patriotism."
Mr. Lapointe did not use dual arguments, one set for Quebec and a different one for the
other provinces. What he told our Englishspeaking fellow-citizens was identical to what he said to his French-speaking compatriots. Everywhere he used the same language and, my leader said so only a few moments ago, during the last general election, he visited the whole country, as far as Vancouver, where he supported one of my friends seated on the government side of the house, and the arguments he used in Vancouver were exactly the same as those he used in Quebec, Montreal or any other Canadian city.
Neither did he care for appeals to prejudice. He was far above all prejudice. While making himself respected, Ernest Lapointe was gaining respect for his compatriots, and that is the reason why his disappearance from the political scene is so keen a loss for Canada.
Mr. Speaker, I frequently had occasion to discuss informally with Mr. Lapointe matters of public interest in which we were mutually concerned and I never feared to open my mind fully to him. I had no secrets from him. I spoke to him as if he had been an elder brother, and I was never rebuked by him. There have been, of course, periods that were very sad for him. He did not always succeed in bringing others to accept his views. But he always succeeded in commanding the respect of all his fellow-citizens, which is the finest tribute that can be paid to him.
Mr. Speaker, once again I tender my deepest sympathy to the Prime Minister of Canada, and to Mr. Lapointe's family, to Madame Lapointe, his distinguished wife, to our excellent and popular colleague the hon member for Lotbiniere (Mr. Hugues Lapointe) and to Madiame Ouimet.


Georges Parent: I assume the house will wish me to convey to Madame Lapointe and her family some expression of the tributes paid to-day to the memory of Mr. Lapointe, and I shall be very glad to do so.



THE WAR


[Stage Direction]
On the order for motions:
William Lyon Mackenzie King: I wish to lay on the table of the house copies in English and French of proclamation dated Ottawa, December 7,
4462	COMMONS
Taxation^-Agreements Witth Provinces
1941, declaring that a state of war with Rou-mania, Hungary and Finland exists and has existed in Canada as from December 7, 1941.
Also copies in English and French of a proclamation issued on Monday, December 8, 1941, declaring that a state of war with Japan exists and has existed in Canada as and from December 7, 1941.



TAXATION


[Stage Direction]
On the order for motions:
Richard Burpee Hanson: Before we leave this order of business may I ask the Minister of Finance (Mr. Ilsley) if he will be good enough to lay upon the table of the house copies of the proposed agreements with the various provinces respecting their vacation of the fields of income tax and corporation tax. I understand that these have not been settled finally in form but have been transmitted to the various provinces for ratification by way of legislation. It seems to me desirable, however, that we should have these, if not now, in the immediate future. I assume they will become public through the press as soon as they have been transmitted to the provinces, which will in turn transmit them to the legislatures. If the minister can give these to the house now, I shall appreciate it.


Hon. J. L. ILSLEY (Minister of Finance):: I should like to give a little consideration to that request.


Richard Burpee Hanson: That is fair.


James Lorimer Ilsley: There may be alterations, I think minor only, in the agreements before they are signed. I am not just sure how far the government should go in submitting draft documents to the house before signature. However, they have been given to the press and I shall give consideration to-


Richard Burpee Hanson: If they
have been given to the press, as a matter of right I claim that they should be laid on the table now. It is unheard of that they should be given to the press before being given to the House of Commons.



PRIVILEGE-MR. COLDWELL CENSORSHIP OF MAIL ADDRESSED TO MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT

Major James William Coldwell: Mr. Speaker, I wish to raise a matter of privilege concerning the members of the House of Commons as members of the House of Commons. I have in my hand an envelope and a letter, the envelope having been posted within Canada and sent to a member of parliament as a member of parliament, addressed to the post office of the House of Commons. This letter has been opened and examined by the censor; C-451 is the number upon it. From time immemorial it has been the right of constituents of members of parliament to approach their members without obstruction or interference of any kind.
I draw this to the attention of you, Mr. Speaker, as the guardian of the rights and privileges of this house, in order that this matter may be investigated and this interference with the right of a constituent to approach his member stopped. I may say that during my recent visit to Britain I had letters from persons who were relatives of mine living in the prohibited defence areas in Britain, and none of those letters was censored although they had all been posted to me as a private citizen. I cannot for the life of me see why a letter of any description mailed in the Dominion of Canada to another point within Canada should be subjected to censorship. But I do say that it is an interference with the privileges and rights of members of this parliament to have mail opened addressed to members of parliament as members of parliament on what may be matters pertaining to their activities as members of this house, and so Mr. Speaker, I draw this matter to your attention.


Richard Burpee Hanson: May I ask the hon. gentleman a question? Does this letter purport to have been mailed from a defence area in Canada, if that is the proper technical term? I think we ought to know the exact facts before the house is asked to pass judgment.


Major James William Coldwell: I have not asked the house to pass judgment, or I would have moved a motion. This letter was mailed from Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, on January 19 of this year.

Questions



QUESTIONS

[Stage Direction]
(Questions answered orally are indicated by an asterisk).

Mr. ROY:: 1.	Did the government construct a wharf or breakwater at the mouth of the Barachois river, Gaspe county, during the fiscal year 1939?
2.	If so, was this work done by contract and
(a)	for what amount and by whom; (b) what quantity of timber was used; (c) from whom was it purchased and at what price on each contract?


Mr. CARDIN:: 1.	A breastwork was constructed at Bridge-ville, Que., on the Barachois River, during the fiscal year 1938-39.
2.	(a) Work was done by day labour at a
cost of $4,266.30.	(b) and (c) Timber purchased for this work from Alfred G. Maloney as follows:-
5,400 lineal feet of 6-inch round poles at 5 cents per lineal foot.S 270 00
19,420 feet B.M.-3-inch deals at
S26	 504 92
50,784 feet B.M.-8- by 8-inch spruce timber at $29	 1,472 73


POSTAL CENSORSHIP
Mr. BRUCE:: 1.	Are letters from citizens of Canada to England censored in Canada before being despatched?
2.	If not, are they censored by Canadians in England upon arrival there?
3.	Are letters from one part of Canada to another subject to censorship?
4.	If so, is this censorship done solely for the purpose of removing information which might be useful to the enemy?
5.	If any criticism of a department of government has been found, has such criticism been extracted from letters and sent with the name of the writer to the department involved?


Mr. MULOCK:: 1.	Examination is made of some letters in connection with the enforcement of the foreign exchange control board regulations. The percentage of mail so examined is less than 2 per cent.
2.	No.
3.	Yes, under certain circumstances in the interests of security.
4.	In the course of any examination of mails, attention is paid to the enforcement of wartime laws and regulations from the point of view of security, trade, economic warfare, illegal intermediaries, enemy propaganda, subversive activities, etc.
5.	Such extracts are referred in confidence to the head of the department concerned, when it is considered in the public interest to do so.


THIRD VICTORY LOAN
Mr. FAIR:: 1.	How many, (a) individuals, (b) corporations, subscribed to the third Victory loan?
2.	What amount was subscribed by (a) individuals, (b) insurance companies, (c) banks, (d) other companies?
3.	What amount was borrowed by individuals from banks for the purchase of Victory bonds?
4.	What is the value of the bonds purchased by individuals on the instalment plan, now surrendered?


Mr. ILSLEY:: 1.	Data available to the Department of Finance do not enable a complete segregation to be made of subscriptions by individuals and corporations respectively. However, 9,229 subscriptions totalling $527,500,200 were received from subscribers (individuals, corporations and other bodies) on the special names list, and 959,030 subscriptions totalling $309,320,050 were received from subscribers (individuals, corporations and other bodies) in the general canvass.
2.	(a) See answer to No. 1.
(b)	$117,704,850 of which $22,174,500 represented conversion subscriptions of national service loan bonds due November 15, 1941.
(c)	$49,450,000 of which $42,450,000 represented conversion subscriptions of national service loan bonds due November 15, 1941.
(d)	See answer to No. 1.
3.	Victory loan bonds purchased under the instalment plan described in the official prospectus, by individuals, corporations and other bodies, totalled $37,439,900. In addition, it is understood that loans made by the chartered banks of Canada to finance the purchase of Victory loan bonds by individuals, corporations and other bodies, totalled $135,978,539 on June 30, 1941.
4.	None. No provision was made for the redemption by the government of 1941 Victory loan bonds prior to the call date. No information is available as to the amount of bonds which may have been sold by subscribers after their original purchase of the bonds.
Note.-It is assumed that while the question relates to what is called the "third Victory Loan", what is meant is the third public war loan which is officially described as "The Victory Loan, 1941".


ST. CATHARINES STEEL PRODUCTS LIMITED
Mr. CHURCH:: 1.	What amount of money, if any, has been loaned by the government to the St. Catharines Steel Products Limited?
2.	Has the British government any money invested in this company?
3.	How much private capital has been subscribed ?
Questions

4.	Who are the directors of this company?
5.	Are they manufacturing any specific war weapon that cannot be produced in some of the already existing steel plants in Canada?


Mr. HOWE:: 1.	No loan has been made by the government to St. Catharines Steel Products Limited, Capital assistance to the amount of S844,300 has been granted for alterations to buildings, and for machinery and equipment, title to which .will vest in His Majesty the King in right of Canada.
2.	The British government has also provided capital assistance.
3.	All working capital is being provided by the St. Catharines Steel Products Limited.
4.	A. F. Field, A. W. Taylor, W. A. Wecker, E. J. H. Vanston, J. J. Bench, Edward Kennard.
5.	The St. Catharines Steel Products Limited has contracts for three types of armour piercing shot, a highly technical store, for which there is no other available capacity.


H. R. MACMILLAN
Mr. CASTLEDEN:: 1.	Did Mr. H. R. MacMillan, chairman of the war-time merchant shipping board, previously hold any positions under the federal government?
2.	If so, what positions and during what periods?


Mr. HOWE:: 1.	Yes.
2.	Department of Interior: part time, 1904, 1905 and 1906.
Forest branch: 1908 to 1912. Last appointment, Associate Director of Forestry.
Department of Trade and Commerce: Timber Trade Commissioner, April, 1915 to August, 1916.
Department of Munitions and Supply: Timber Controller, June 24, 1940, to November 17, 1940.
Chairman, War-time Requirements Board: November 17, 1940, to April 4, 1941.
President, War-time Merchant Shipping: April 4, 1941, to date.


WATER DIVERSION, ONTARIO
Mr. CASTLEDEN:: What engineering projects have been undertaken in Ontario in connection with the divergence of waters into the great lakes during 1939, 1940 and 1941?


Pierre-Joseph-Arthur Cardin: No engineering projects have been undertaken by the dominion government in connection with the divergence of waters into the great lakes during 1939, 1940 and 1941.
The thirty-third annual report of the Hydro Electric Power Commission of Ontario, for the year ended October 31, 1940, states that towards the end of that year work was started on the Ogoki (Ontario) diversion which, when completed, would permit a diversion of 4,000 cubic feet of water per second from the Ogoki-Albany river watershed into lake Nipigon and the great lakes-St. Lawrence watershed at lake Superior.


SOLDIER SETTLEMENT BOARD
Mr. CASTLEDEN:: 1.	What was the cost to the federal government of the maintenance of the branches of the soldier settlement board in each province for each fiscal year from 1930-31 to date?
2.	How many persons were employed in each of these branches during each of the above years?


Mr. CRERAR:: Statements herewith.
1.
Fiscal Year	British Columbia	Alberta	Saskat- chewan	Manitoba	Ontario	Quebec	Mari- times	Head Office	Total1930-	31.. 1931-	32.. 1932-	33.. 1933-	34.. 1934-	35.. 1935-	30.. 1936-	37.. 1937-	38.. 1938-	39.. 1939-	40.. 194041,.	141,004 12 103,157 07 85,213 48 81,755 99 83,581 65 87,680 07 85,011 22 82,401 71 77,995 58 70,438 61 64,326 00	260,776 94 213,058 88 180,436 49 172,389 35 172,866 95 169,629 06 164,030 38 165,601 87 159,565 41 150,949 86 145,923 68	248,498 65 183,162 96 142,944 15 132,237 72 135,879 16 127,650 57 124,325 98 118,442 14 128,198 51 134,371 98 130,540 26	133,388 20 93,382 51 71,455 83 71,357 34 74,714 01 75,289 35 68,967 57 74,648 85 70,518 45 65,262 39 60,523 87	106,273 27 80,216 46 72,726 90 67,413 75 70,541 71 80,021 46 79,366 03 82,739 34 91,679 90 88,065 76 80,431 94	15,977 42 14,121 20 13,756 97 13,485 24 13,605 32 13,527 09 14,373 19 14,776 82 15,033 16 14,549 38 13,784 95	74,231 29 69,383 22 62,309 84 59,184 76 64,815 51 65,857 71 61,885 71 59,404 01 62,678 77 57,008 41 50,991 82	320,177 66 278,992 21 189,481 61 142,868 65 125,500 58 137,852 64 132,338 36 111,263 64 128,328 19 118,843 31 102,393 53	1,300,327 55 1,035,474 51 818,325 27 740,692 80 741,504 89 757,507 95 730,298 44 709,278 38 734,047 97 699,489 70 648,916 05
Note:-The above figures include the cost of a wide variety of services for the Departments of finance. Pensions and National Health; National Defence; Labour; Secretary of State; Lands, Parks and forest Branch, Immigration and Indian Affairs Branches of the Department of Mines and Resources, also War Veterans' Allowance Board; Dependents' Allowance Board; Canadian Farm Loan Board and Canadian Pension Commission.

Questions
2.
Fiscal Year	British Columbia	Alberta	Saskat- chewan	Manitoba	Ontario	Quebec	Mari- times	Head Office	Total1930-31....	56	108	97	50	37	6	32	117	5031931-32....	40	85	64	35	29	6	29	83	3711932-33....	38	86	63	34	28	6	29	66	3501933-34....	38	84	60	35	29	6	29	62	3431934-35....	38	79	59	35	29	6	32	58	3361935-36....	38	79	57	34	32	6	30	59	3351936-37....	38	75	55	33	32	6	28	58	3251937-38....	35	72	54	32	36	6	27	49	3111938-39....	35	68	56	31	31	6	27	48	3021939-40....	28	59	53	27	28	5	23	47	2701940-41....	26	60	51	26	29	5	21	39	257


PURCHASE OF PLYWOOD IN BRITISH COLUMBIA
Mr. REID:: With respect to the 1,220,720 square feet of plywoods purchased for military purposes in the province of British Columbia, what quantity was supplied by each of the three firms and what amount of money was paid each company?


Mr. HOWE:: The Canadian Western Lumber Company, Fraser Mills, B.C.,	154,600 square feet,

B.C. Plywoods Limited, Vancouver, B.C., 1,076,120 square feet, $32,120.39.
The department has purchased plywood from the above two companies only.
The Pacific Veneer Co., Limited, New Westminster, B.C., may have supplied birch plywood to private contractors for the construction of aeroplane propellers.
The award of plywood requirements by the department was made by the timber controller on the basis of relative production capacity of the two manufacturers.


BUREAU OF PUBLIC INFORMATION
Mr. BLACK (Cumberland):: 1.	What appointments, other than clerical and stenographic, have been made to the bureau of information staff since parliament adjourned in June last?
2.	What are, (a) the duties, (b) the salaries, (c) other allowances and expenses, of each such new appointment?
3.	In its material intended for Canadian daily and weekly newspapers does the bureau limit itself to the issuance of purely factual news, or do some of its releases endeavour to interpret government policy?
4.	In the cases of releases interpreting government policy, through what process of government approval do they pass before the bureau of information issues them?
5.	Does the bureau operate abroad, or are its releases wholly for domestic distribution?


Mr. THORSON:: 1.	(i) R. A. Farquharson.
(ii)	Mrs. M. Luxton.
(iii)	A. S. Grigsby.
(iv)	Donatien Fremont.
(v)	Miss M. Ferguson.
2.	(a)
(i)	Editor-in-chief, News and Feature branch.
(ii)	Editor, Technical Source Material, consumer branch.
(iii)	Assistant to Art and Printing Supervisor.
(iv)	French Pamphlet Editor and Writer.
(v)	Editor, Consumer Bulletin and Women's Feature Editor.
(b)
(i)	$5,200 per annum.
(ii)	$1,560 per annum.
(iii)	$2,820 per annum.
(iv)	$3,120 per annum.
(v)	$2,100 per annum.
(c)	No allowances; legitimate travelling expenses, when necessary.
3.	Purely factual news.
4.	See answer to No. 3.
5.	The bureau operates abroad, as well as in Canada.


MEADOW LAKE, SASK., POST OFFICE BUILDING
Mrs. NIELSEN:: 1.	Were tenders invited for the building of the post office in Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan?
2.	If so, to whom was the contract awarded and what was the amount of the successful tender?
3.	Did the original contractor invite tenders for subcontracts?
4.	If so, to whom were such subcontracts awarded, for what work, and, respectively, for what amounts?
5.	What was the cost of the Meadow Lake post office building when completed?
Questions


Mr. CARDIN:: 1.	Yes.
2.	(a) W. C. Wells, Wilkie, Sask.
(b) $23,250.
3.	No information.
4.	List of subcontractors as submitted by general contractor:
Plumbing, heating, roofing, sheet metal and waterproofing, S. J. Kirkland, Wilkie, Sask., $5,813.00.
Brick and stone work, Alec Hegblom, Saskatoon, Sask., $2,891.75.
Steel, iron and bronze work, Manitoba Bridge & Iron Works, Winnipeg, Man., $1,874.00.
Electrical work, J. J. Beuhler, Meadow Lake, Sask., $718.67.
Painting, Riddell & Co., North Battleford, Sask., $628.00.
5.	Total cost of building including equipment, $26,989.45.


USE OF HUDSON BAY BUILDING, CALGARY, FOR MILITARY PURPOSES
Mr. JOHNSTON (Bow River):: 1.	What defence force is at present occupying the top floor of the Hudson Bay Building in Calgary, Alberta?
2.	What monthly and/or yearly rental is being paid for same?
3.	Was any renovation done before this space was occupied?
4.	If so, what was the cost of same and was it charged to the government?
5.	Was air conditioning included in such renovation? If so, at what cost to the government ?
6.	Has the government knowledge of any other part of this building being air conditioned at the same time and by the same contractor?
7.	What was the cost of furnishing this space?
8.	Did the government contract for any refund, in connection with air conditioning, upon vacating such premises?


Mr. POWER:: 1.	No. 4 training command headquarters, R.C.A.F.
2.	$15,000.00 per annum.
3.	Yes.
4.	$50,000.00-Yes.
5.	No.
6.	No.
7.	Furnishings used at the previous headquarters at Regina, Saskatchewan, were transferred to Calgary with the command.
8.	No.


COQUALEETZA INDIAN HOSPITAL, SARDIS, B.C.
Mr. McGREGOR:: 1.	Were tenders invited for the supply of coal to the Coqualeetza Indian hospital at Sardis, British Columbia?
2.	If so, what persons or firms were invited to tender?
3.	What was the price tendered by each?
4.	Who was awarded the contract?
5.	Was this person a licensed coal dealer?
6.	If so, what was the number of the licence?


Mr. CRERAR:: 1.	Yes.
2 and 3. Chilliwack Lumber Yards, Chilliwack, B.C., $8.50 per ton; H. G. Ford Cartage Co., Chilliwack, B.C., $9.00 per ton; Goslings Truck Line, Abbotsford, B.C., $8.55 per ton; T. Mathers, Abbotsford, B.C., No tender.
4. Chilliwack Lumber Yards.
5 and 6. As far as is known, Chilliwack Lumber Yards is not a licensed coal dealer but company advises that all their coal business is handled by a subsidiary-Robertson Brothers, Chilliwack, Limited,-who hold dominion and provincial licences. The license issued by the war-time prices and trade board is numbered 2996.


Mr. McGREGOR:: 1.	What was the cost of establishing the Indian hospital at Sardis, British Columbia?
2.	What staff is employed at present?
3.	Who is the secretary or secretary-manager?
4.	Was the appointment of such person made by the civil service commission?
5.	If so, was competition invited?
6.	What is the salary of the secretary or secretary-manager ?


Mr. CRERAR:: 1.	Cost of alterations to building $69,161.84 Cost of equipment and supplies 54,888.10

2.	1 Medical superintendent; 1 Medical officer; 1 Matron; 13 Graduate nurses; 7 Hospital attendants; 1 Sr. laboratory assistant; 1 Engineer; 1 Clerk, grade 3; 1 Dietitian; 1 Cook; 15 Housemaids.
3.	There is no such position in the establishment but the duties of such a position will be performed by the medical superintendent and clerk.
4.	The appointments of medical superintendent and clerk were made by the civil service commission.
5.	Yes.
6.	Medical superintendent-$3,120 plus $660 in lieu of house, fuel and light.
Clerk, grade 3-$1,380.


Richard Burpee Hanson: Mr. Speaker, before we proceed to the next order may I call the attention of the Prime Minister to questions 16 and 17, which have been

Questions
standing on the order paper since November 13, Question 17, surely, would take only a few minutes to answer, and I submit that nine weeks is too long to take to answer a question of that kind. We ought to have an answer to both these questions immediately.


William Lyon Mackenzie King: May I say to
my hon. friend that, unfortunately, I came into the house without the replies as they have been prepared by the department, but I shall endeavour to answer the questions orally now.
^REPRESENTATION OF VICHY GOVERNMENT IN CANADA
Mr. Church:
1.	Has the Vichy government of France an ambassador or envoy in Canada?
2.	If so, where is he located, who are the members of his staff; is there any inspection of the same, or regulation of the embassy?
3.	Is it intended to close this legation?
4.	Has the government received any request from his majesty's government of Great Britain to keep it open? If so, from whom?
5.	Does this Vichy office in Ottawa conduct any dominion or empire business with Vichy?
6.	If so, what is the amount of such business and of what nature is it?


Mr. MACKENZIE KING:: 1.	There is a representative of the government of France in Canada.
2.	The legation is located on Sussex street, and the same precautions are taken with respect, to the French legation as are taken with respect to other legations in the city.


Richard Burpee Hanson: That does
not answer the question.


William Lyon Mackenzie King: It does not answer, "who are the members of his staff".


Richard Burpee Hanson: Is there any inspection or regulation of the embassy?


William Lyon Mackenzie King: Just the same, I would say to my hon. friend, as is the case with all the other legations. As long as there are legations here they are all treated alike. Answering now questions 3 and 4:
3.	It is not the intention of the government at the present time to ask that the legation be closed.
4.	My hon. friend (Mr. Hanson, York-Sunbury) is I think aware that when the right hon. the Prime Minister of Great Britain was here, speaking to members of the press, he made the intimation publicly that he would like to have our relations maintained with the Vichy government. Mr. Churchill has authorized me to make it quite clear that such a desire does exist on his part, This government is most anxious to cooperate with the British government in all particulars, and we feel that in this matter we are cooperating in a way that will be helpful generally.
Answering now question 5:
5.	The legation, I assume, conducts the regular business that comes before it in the regular way.
I cannot answer the last question, "What is the amount of such business and of what nature is it?"


* REPRESENTATION OF CANADIAN GOVERNMENT IN EIRE
Mr. CHURCH:: 1.	Does the government maintain an envoy or minister in Eire?
2.	If so, who is he, who are the members of his staff and what are their respective salaries and other allowances?
3.	What is the annual cost to Canada?
4.	Do Australia and New Zealand maintain similar offices in Eire, and where are they located?
5.	Has Canada trade commissioners in Dublin ?
6.	If so, are these envoys not duplications of services rendered by trade agents?


Mr. MACKENZIE KING:: 1.	The government has a representative, a high commissioner in Eire.
2.	Mr. John Kearney, K.C., of Montreal, for some time past has been high commissioner , in Eire. I have not the names of other members of the office and staff. Mr. E. J. Garland, a former member of this house, is next to the high commissioner, and Miss O'Malley, a private secretary, is also a member of the staff.
3.	I shall have to give this answer at another time, also the answer to question 4.


Richard Burpee Hanson: The Prime Minister cannot answer from memory, does he mean?


William Lyon Mackenzie King: Yes. Answering questions 5 and 6:
5.	Canada has trade commissioners in Dublin.
6.	No.


Richard Burpee Hanson: I do suggest that this is a very slipshod way of answering formal questions on the order paper. Will the Prime Minister say that formal answers will be brought down in view of his intimation that they had been prepared?


William Lyon Mackenzie King: My hon. friend said that he wished to have the questions answered immediately.

Questions as Orders for Returns


Richard Burpee Hanson: I think they ought to be, having regard to the length of time they have been on the order paper.


William Lyon Mackenzie King: I was simply trying to oblige my hon. friend, and in the circumstances I think he might have accepted the explanation which I gave.


Richard Burpee Hanson: I did not know what the explanation was until the Prime Minister spoke.


Georges Parent: Questions 16 and 17
answered1.


Some hon. MEMBERS:: No.



QUESTIONS PASSED AS ORDERS FOR RETURNS


Mr. SHAW:: 1.	Have members of the legal profession resident in the Red Deer federal constituency been engaged by the Department of Munitions and Supply or any other department of the federal government in connection with property purchased in said constituency since September, 1939?
2.	If so, what are their names and addresses?
3.	What amount or amounts have been paid for legal services in each case?
4.	Upon what dates were payments made for services thus rendered?
Mr. MoLARTY: Return tabled.


Mr. BLACK (Cumberland):: 1.	Is Adjutor Savard in the employment of the Department of National Defence for Air Services, or any other department of government?
2.	If so, in what capacity?
3.	Was the position, to which he was appointed, newly created?
4.	How was it created and in what department?
5.	Where is he stationed?
6.	What are his duties?
7.	What is his salary?
8.	What are other allowances and expenses, stating the rates and total amounts paid under different headings?
9.	What was the total amount paid to him in connection with the Rowell-Sirois commission?
10.	Was he formerly on the staff of the National Liberal Federation?


Mr. McLARTY:: Return tabled.


Mr. HANSELL:: 1. Who authorized one, Ernest Bertrand, to gain access to a document, purported to be instructions from an axis power to its agent in Canada?

2.	Who authorized this gentleman to read this document over the national network of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation on - or about August 20, 1941?
3.	Was this document read as evidence, and behind dlosed doors, to the special parliamentary committee on the defence of Canada regulations?
4.	Will other members of the defence of Canada regulations committee and members of parliament be given the same privilege of securing the same or similar documents and evidence for the purpose of enlightening the public as to the dangers of subversive forces?
5.	Under whose auspices was the broadcast given, how many stations were used in the hook-up and what was the total price charged?


Norman Alexander McLarty: Return tabled.


Mr. CHURCH:: 1.	What are the total enlistments in Canada, by provinces, since the war began, to the end of October last, in the (a) army, (b) navy, (c) air force?
2.	How many in each class are now serving overseas, and how many are engaged in home defence or in training in Canada?
3.	Will the records, in future, record enlistments by municipalities, in the same manner as the victory loans are recorded?
4.	Will consideration be given to a monthly statement of enlistments in future?


Norman Alexander McLarty: Return tabled.


MOTIONS FOR PAPERS
Thomas Reid: For a copy of all letters, telegrams and other correspondence exchanged between Brig.-Gen.
J.	A. Clark and the government or any official or department thereof, since September. 1939, to the end of September, 1941, with reference to military matters or appointments.


Mr. RALSTON:: The hon. member really put this same matter in the form of a question before the bouse adjourned, and at that time I said that upon consideration my view was that to disclose information with regard to offers of military appointments would be establishing a precedent which would not be in the public interest. On that same ground I would ask my hon. friend to drop his motion.


Thomas Reid: Mr. Speaker, I quite realize
the viewpoint of the minister, but would he at least tell us if Brigadier General Clark was offered a position of any kind. Surely that question can be answered, and if the minister is prepared to give us that information, the motion might be dropped.


James Layton Ralston: I can say to my hon.
friend that Brigadier General Clark was offered an appointment.
Motion dropped.

The Ministry


HOG AND BACON STATISTICS
Mr. BOUCHER:: For a copy of a document containing hog and bacon statistics compiled by the dominion Department of Agriculture and submitted to *the bacon board on or about September 1, 1941.


YOHKTON SERVICE FLYING TRAINING SCHOOL
George Hugh Castleden: For a copy of all contracts and agreements between the government and the Waterman-Waterbury Company, in connection with construction in the relief No. 1 landing field of the Yorkton service flying training school, situated at Surdee, Saskatchewan.


THE MINISTRY
[Stage Direction]
On the orders of the day:
William Lyon Mackenzie King: Mr. Speaker, I wish to
inform the house of certain changes which have been made in the ministry since the adjournment on November 14 last. These changes have been occasioned, one, by the death of the Right Hon. Ernest Lapointe, the Minister of Justice, and the other, by the appointment to the Superior court of the province of Quebec of the Hon. P. F. Cas-grain, the Secretary of State.
On December 10, Mr. Louis St. Laurent,
K.C., of Quebec city, was sworn in as Minister of Justice. As hon. members are aware, Mr. St. Laurent is a former president of the Canadian Bar Association and a foremost member of his profession. He resides in Quebec city. Mr. St. Laurent has not a seat in the house at the present time, but is seeking election to the house in the byelection pending in Quebec East.
On December 15, Mr. Casgrain was appointed a judge of the Superior court of the province of Quebec. On that day the Hon. Norman McLarty, who at the time was Minister of Labour, was appointed Secretary of State to fill the vacancy created by the appointment of Mr. Casgrain; and on the same day Mr. Humphrey Mitchell was sworn in as Minister of Labour. As hon. members, I think, are well aware, Mr. Humphrey Mitchell for some years was a member of this house. Between 1931 and 1935 he represented Hamilton. More recently, and prior to his appointment, he was chairman of the national war labour board and secretary of the national labour supply council. Mr. Mitchell is a member of the Trades and Labour Congress of Canada, and has held important executive offices in that body. At the present time he is seeking election to the House of Commons in the constituency of Welland.


RIGHT HON. WINSTON CHURCHILL ADDRESS TO MEMBERS OF THE SENATE AND THE HOUSE OF COMMONS TO BE INCLUDED IN OFFICIAL REPORT OF DEBATES
[Stage Direction]
On the orders of the day:
William Lyon Mackenzie King: Mr. Speaker, I imagine
that all hon. members have much in mind the recent visit to Canada of the Right Hon. Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of Great Britain, and the address which was delivered by Mr. Churchill in this chamber before hon. members of the Senate and of the House of Commons. I was very sony that when Mr. Churchill found it possible to make his decision as to visiting Canada and to address the members of the two houses, it was not possible to give more than a very short notice of the visit and of the intention of the Prime Minister to deliver an address. I am sure hon. members will fully appreciate what the reasons were which prevented a longer notice being given than was given to them. I assume that those who were unable to be present heard the Prime Minister's address over the radio. I am sure that it will be the wish of all hon. members that the address should be recorded in the proceedings of this house. I have spoken about this matter to my hon. friend the leader of the opposition (Mr. Hanson), and he has kindly agreed to second the following motion:
That the address which the Right Hon. Winston S. Churchill, Prime Minister of Great Britain, delivered before the members of the Senate and of the House of Commons of Canada in the Chamber of the House of Commons on December 30, 1941, be included in the House of Commons Debates and form part of the permanent records of this Parliament.


Richard Burpee Hanson: Mr. Speaker, I have very much
pleasure in seconding the motion. I think it most appropriate that this motion should be carried and that this speech should form part of the records of the House of Commons. It was a great privilege to hear Mr. Churchill's speech in this chamber, and I know that most of us who were present were thrilled with the sentiments which he expressed and the opinions which he had formed and which he gave to us. If there is no precedent for what we are about to do, we now establish the precedent.


William Lyon Mackenzie King: It just occurs to me that Your Honour took a small part in the proceedings, and that I also had the privilege, on behalf of hon. members, of addressing a few words to Mr. Churchill by way of welcome. I did not include in the motion reference to either Your Honour's role or my own remarks. It might be understood that both might find a place on the record.
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Richard Burpee Hanson: Oh, you
can. never leave the Prime Minister out!


[Stage Direction]
Motion agreed to.
(For Mr. Churchill's address, with introduction by Mr. Mackenzie King, see page 4478)

[Stage Direction]
CANADIAN REGIMENTS AT HONG	KONG-

[Stage Direction]
On the orders of the day:
James Layton Ralston: Mr. Speaker, since the house adjourned the name of Hong Kong has been added to the battle honours of two fine Canadian regiments, and these regiments, by the heroism of the brave men who comprised them, have added to our history an unforgettable page of gallantry and devotion.
I feel that this house should not and would not wish to prorogue without recording a tribute to these regiments and these men and without receiving a statement regarding the expedition.	_
I share deeply the anxiety which is felt not only in the homes directly affected, but in all Canada, in these days of waiting for news. I want to assure the house that no effort which we could or can make to get information has been or will be spared. We have sought to take advantage of every possible avenue of communication and will continue to do so.
We have recently received word that the Japanese have established a prisoners of war bureau and that they are ready to exchange information through the International Red Cross. Immediately on receipt of this wmrd, it was suggested to the Red1 Cross people in London that their representative in Tokyo be requested to communicate direct with |he International Red Cross representative in Canada. It is earnestly hoped that this suggestion will be accepted. If it is, it may hasten considerably the receipt of this information.
I shall now deal, first, with the manner in which a Canadian expeditionary force to Hong Kong was decided upon; second, the selection of the two regiments which were sent; third, the preparation of this force; fourth, its equipment and transportation; and fifth, its heroic operations at Hong Kong as far as we have received reports.
1. Decision to send Canadian force. On September 19, 1941, the government received a message from the government of the United Kingdom, asking us to furnish, as they said, one or two battalions to strengthen the garrison of Hong Kong.
IMr. Mackenzie King.]
Before arriving at a decision to agree to this request, the various strategical factors involved were fully considered. The British government, as a precautionary measure, had determined to strengthen its forces at Hong Kong and Singapore. Australia provided a portion of the additional troops required at Singapore, and Canada was being asked to supply a part of those required for Hong Kong. The British government indicated at the time that reinforcement by one or two battalions from Canada would mean an increase in the strength of the garrison much greater in proportion than the number of men that would be involved.
It was felt that such reinforcements would have a good moral effect in the whole of the far east, would give fresh evidence of commonwealth solidarity, and would reassure the Chinese as to the British intention to hold the island. In addition, the Canadian troops would materially increase the defensive strength of the garrison.
It was considered to be incumbent upon Canada, if at all possible, to accept this share of the responsibility for strengthening the garrisons in the Pacific area. After due consideration of all the factors, and on the recommendation of our military authorities who had studied the subject, the government authorized for dispatch to Hong Kong a Canadian force composed substantially of two infantry battalions.
This decision was reached on 29th September and was telegraphed to London on the same date. On 1st October we received a reply from London expressing appreciation and stating that a further message, dealing with military arrangements, would follow. This further message was received here on 9th October. On the 11th October the war office inquired as to whether, in addition to the two battalions, a modified brigade headquarters could be supplied. These proposals were agreed to.
2. Composition of the Canadian force. The force as finally determined thus consisted of a headquarters, containing various signal and administrative personnel, and two infantry battalions. Brigadier J. K. Lawson, an experienced officer who had been Director of Military Training at National Defence headquarters, and who had seen extensive service in the last war, was selected to command the force. Colonel Patrick Hennessy, D.S.O., M.C., another experienced officer who had been Director of Organization at National Defence headquarters and who also had served throughout the last war, was appointed as Senior Administrative Officer.
The selection of the two battalions to compose the force was a matter carefully studied

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by the Department of National Defence. In Canada we had available for selection, having in mind the necessary training and experience, the 4th division, the units comprising the brigade groups of the 6th division, which was then mobilizing, and a number of unattached battalions. The 4th division had already been assigned to an operational duty in defence of our eastern coast and it seemed therefore that the selection should come from the other forces I have mentioned.
Included in these available forces were three infantry battalions which had seen garrison duty service in Newfoundland and in the West Indies, where they had trained in defensive measures against invasion, a type of operation which might be anticipated at Hong Kong. These three battalions, because of the experience which they had had, seemed the most suitable for the Hong Kong duty, and, of the three, the Royal Rifles of Canada and the Winnipeg Grenadiers were finally selected.
The Royal Rifles of Canada was mobilized on the 28th June, 1940, and moved to Newfoundland on the 21st November, 1940, where it formed a part of the garrison of that island. The regiment returned to Canada in two parties- on the 18th and 28th August, 1941, respectively. The commanding officer of the Royal Rifles was Lieutenant-Colonel W. J. Home, M.C., an experienced officer who had seen extensive service in France and Belgium during the last war.


Richard Burpee Hanson: May I interrupt to ask whether the Royal Rifles were at one time stationed at Sussex and, if so, when?


James Layton Ralston: I cannot give the date.


Richard Burpee Hanson: Was it
1941 or 1940?


James Layton Ralston: It was 1940, I think.


Mr. POWER:: From September or August of 1940 to December.


James Layton Ralston: The Winnipeg Grenadiers was mobilized on the 2nd September, 1939. On the 25th May, 1940, it proceeded to the West Indies where it formed part of the Jamaica garrison until the 9th September, 1941, at which date the advance party of the unit returned to Canada followed by the main body of the regiment in two groups on the 21st September and the 8th October, 1941, respectively. This regiment was commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel J. L. R. Sutcliffe, who served with the Canadian Expeditionary Force in France and Belgium in 1915, and later in India, Mesopotamia, Persia, Russia and Turkey.
When selected for the Hong Kong duty these two battalions had thus been mobilized for fifteen months and twenty-five months respectively. Both of them had trained in Canada prior to embarkation in 1940 for their garrison duties in Newfoundland and Jamaica. Their training was continued throughout these periods of service abroad. Each battalion had the advantage of having had the same men training for a long period under the same officers and non-commissioned officers. As battalions they were, I believe, properly regarded as among the most seasoned and experienced Canadian units available for this duty.
3.	Preparation of the Canadian forces. When these two battalions were selected' for the duty at Hong Kong, the Royal Rifles was up to full strength (with two men surplus) and the Winnipeg Grenadiers was 129 men under strength. The lower strength of the Winnipeg Grenadiers was due to its operating in Jamaica at reduced strength in accordance with British garrison establishment. In addition to bringing the Grenadiers up to strength, it was decided to provide each battalion with a surplus or reserve of 156 men, known as "first reinforcements." These "first reinforcements" are usually kept at the base when a unit goes into a theatre of war.
The total number of additional men required to prepare these two battalions for the Hong Kong duty was thus 127 men to complete the ordinary strength and 312 men as surplus or first reinforcements, making 439 in all. These additional men had to be obtained without delay from other units and training centres.
The total force which finally embarked for Hong Kong, as reported by Brigadier Lawson on board the transport, amounted to 100 officers and 1,885 men-a total of 1,985 all ranks.
Regarded as a whole, this was a well-trained force consisting mainly of two experienced and well integrated battalions. It included, however, the 439 additional men and reinforcements whom I have already mentioned, who were new to these particular battalions. Of the 439 men, there were 172, or more than sufficient to bring the force up to full strength, who had service of a year or more. 'Including these, there were 291 men who were fully up to the established standard of training required for overseas duty as reinforcements and 138 who were below this standard. This leaves ten men whose training record has not yet been completely reported to me.
Departmental orders require that infantry with less than 16 weeks' training shall not proceed overseas unless authorized by headquarters at Ottawa. In this case it is clear that although training requirements were observed in provid-
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ing sufficient additional men to bring the force up to full strength, there would be available for the "first reinforcements" group a total of 138 to 148 men out of the force of 1,885 who had received less than sixteen weeks' training. An inquiry is being made fully into the circumstances under which these men were accepted and action will be taken in accordance with the facts found.
4.	Equipment and transportation of the Canadian force. As I have stated, the war office's request for a Canadian force to reinforce the Hong Kong garrison was received here on September 19, and the Canadian government's concurrence was telegraphed to London on September 29. An acknowledgment from London was received on October 1 and this was followed on October 9 by a message dealing with the actual military arrangements and requirements.
Our military authorities were thus authorized to proceed with their arrangements on October
9.	A troopship provided by the Admiralty and naval escort were to be available to us at Vancouver between October 20 and 31. The sailing date finally decided upon was October 27, which meant that the movement of troops from eastern Canada had to be under way not later than October 23. There was thus a period of about fourteen days-from October 9 to 23-in which to complete all necessary preparations, and action had to be taken accordingly with the greatest urgency and secrecy.
Provision of equipment and stores for the force was a question which received careful study, in consultation with the war office, as to the scale of provision required for the Hong Kong duties. There was some temporary doubt as to whether complete mechanical transport should be taken. As a result of a war office message received on October 11 it was decided that this would be done.
The mechanized transport for the whole force amounted) to 212 vehicles, including universal carriers, and these could not be accommodated on the troopship provided by the admiralty. It was therefore necessary to secure a freighter, which was obtained through the British ministry of war transport.
The freighter reached Vancouver on October 28 and sailed, with the mechanical transport aboard, on November 4. She was a slow ship, capable of 8i knots. When the sudden Japanese attack came on December 7 she was nearing the Philippine islands, and on December 12 reached Manila, where she remained under direction of United States naval authorities. I am not at liberty to give further information regarding this ship beyond saying that she could not, and did not, reach Hong Kong.
(Mr. Ralston.]
As far as we have been able to ascertain up to the present, the freighter which we secured for arrival at Vancouver on October 28 was the earliest ship we could obtain, and with this ship it was physically impossible to have had the 212 vehicles of our forces' mechanical transport reach Hong Kong before hostilities began on December 7.
The possibility of accommodating any of these vehicles on the troopship which carried the force itself was considered. After completing calculations of space requirements for troops and equipment it was thought that there might be space on the troopship for perhaps 20 vehicles out of a total of 212. These were sent forward by rail, but did not reach Vancouver before the troopship sailed. Brigadier Lawson, en route to Hong Kong, expressed disappointment that some of the mechanical transport was not aboard. My information is that it might have been possible, if they had arrived in time, to have put fourteen vehicles on the troopship. Whether these fourteen vehicles would have been any real help is a point of speculation to which none of us can know the answer.
The troopship sailed1 from Vancouver, as planned, on October 27. This ship carried the force of 1,985 officers and1 men and full equipment of weapons and supplies on the scale decided upon in consultation with the war office. The weapons included rifles, Bren guns, Thompson submachine guns and 2" and 3" mortars. The reserve equipment carried was calculated to make the force self-sufficient for a period of 12 months.
Arrangements were completed with the war office in regard to the provision of the balance of anti-tank rifles, which at that time could not be supplied from Canada. Antitank ammunition and mortar ammunition was also to be made available by the British authorities after arrival at Hong Kong.
The troopship reached Hong Kong on November 16, after a voyage of about 20 days. Three weeks later, on Sunday, December 7, Japan suddenly and without warning struck in the Pacific.
The events of December 7 at Pearl Harbour and the loss of the Prince oj Wales and the Repulse a few days later completely changed the strategic position not only in the China sea but in the whole far eastern region. Japan in a few hours attained a command of the far eastern waters that was, and may be for some time, difficult to challenge. The dispatch of assistance to Hong Kong was no longer a feasible operation of war. Much less was there even a fleeting opportunity to repeat the miracle of Dunkirk.
The Japanese by these events became free to attack by land, sea and air, and the only

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447:;
support could come by the Chinese operating in the rear of the Japanese landward attack. The Chinese, despite all their efforts, were not able to influence the outcome of the battle. It remained for the British, Canadian and Indian troops making up the garrison of Hong Kong to face heavy odds and to fight it out, as they did.
5.	Operations of the Canadian force. Our information regarding operations at Hong Kong, as the house knows, is meagre.
The first indication of action was contained in a telegram of December 8, naming two signalmen slightly wounded in action. On the following day, December 9, a telegram referred to one company of Winnipeg Grenadiers dispatched as reinforcements to Kowloon brigade. On December 10 information was received that this company was still in reserve and not yet employed. On December 12 a telegram reported that pressure had developed on left flank at Kowloon, but the situation was stabilized by all available reserves including one company of Winnipeg Grenadiers. On the 14th, however, a message reported Canadian troops not yet seriously engaged. On December 15 one rifleman was reported missing.
On December 19 it was reported that a battalion of Canadians, with other troops, was holding a line from Stanley peninsula and hill to the northwards. On December 22 we received through the Admiralty news that a counterattack from Stanley had failed and that casualties included about one hundred Canadians. A second counter-attack by a company of the Winnipeg Grenadiers had also failed. The same telegram described the troops-presumably all troops, not only Canadians-as very tired, and noted that casualties were heavy and included Brigadier Lawson, believed killed, and Colonel Hennessy, killed by shell-fire.
On December 25 we learned of the intention of the governor of Hong Kong to surrender. An Admiralty message on the 27th added the name of Major Lyndon as missing. On the 28th seven Canadian other ranks were reported as wounded and one missing. This telegram was delayed from December 20. Later a delayed unofficial message mentioned Staff-Captain Bush as wounded in action.
I know that in this house, as throughout Canada, there is deep and heartfelt sympathy for the families and friends of the brave men who have been reported as casualties at Hong Kong, as well as for all of those who are enduring this long period of anxious suspense through lack of news.
On December 29 we received another Admiralty telegram reporting a delayed message of December 22 sent by Lieut-Colonel J. L. R. Sutcliffe of Winnipeg, who by that time had assumed operational command of our force. His message stated "Canadian troops part prisoners, residue engaged, casualties heavy . . . troops have done magnificent work, spirit excellent."
That is a message for us to remember.
The defence of Hong Kong is in accordance with the finest traditions of Canadian armies. All ranks fought it out to the last, and more cannot be asked of any man. May I conclude in the words of the London Times. Referring to the fortitude and heroism of these men of Britain, of India and of Canada, and what they achieved at Hong Kong to help save freedom for us all, the words express far better than I can do what is in our hearts:
The heroic defence of Hong Kong was not only beyond price as an inspiring example of valour and devotion; it also gained a footing in precious time, and, whether or not it may prove to have rivalled in that respect the decisive achievement of our forces in Crete, the invader would have gained vital days, if it had been decided to yield the colony without a struggle.


Richard Burpee Hanson: I should like to say at the very
outset of the few remarks which I wish to make on this subject that I think the countiy owes the minister (Mr. Ralston) its thanks for having made an objective and explicit statement about the situation at Hong Kong. In addition to other reasons, I am interested in the fate of those who may be survivors of Hong Kong, because I recall that the Royal Rifles of Canada trained in my province during part of the year 1940, and that a very substantial number of the men were enlisted from New Brunswick. I can say that four sons of one family enlisted from the little town of Upsal-quitch-their name is Macdonald-and last Thursday or Friday I had a call from a young woman whose brother, a young man twenty-two years of age, I think, trained at Camp Borden as a rifleman, was among those mentioned by the minister as having been selected for the reinforcement of the battalion which went overseas. I communicated with the minister and he was good enough to reply, with as much promptitude as I could have expected, as to the fate of these gallant young Canadians.
I offer no criticism at all of the government for having sent these two battalions to Hong Kong. If we are to be in a total war, and to undertake a total war effort, aside altogether from questions of prospective manpower, and methods by which that may be

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Hong Kong

attained, we must expect to share, in common with the other gallant soldiers of the British empire, and of our democratic allies, the fortunes of war.
Whether or not Hong Kong was a mistake I shall not say. Who am I, that I should criticize anyone-the British government, or the Canadian government-with the minimum of information I have? I do not propose to put myself in any such impossible position, and I offer no criticism. As soon as opportunity offers I hope the government or the department will-and I believe it will-ascertain the fate of those who may have survived and, if it is found that they are prisoners of war, do what is possible to render their position secure for the future. I know my hon. friend the minister will undertake to do that. 1 believe he will give information to those who are so earnestly desirous of obtaining information as to the fate of their relatives and dear ones who may have been enlisted in those regiments.
I believe there has been a somewhat strange misconception with relation to this matter. No one has criticized the Royal Rifles. It is one of the best and most ancient of our militia establishments in Canada, and it was manned by some of the finest officers who ever left our shores. There is no question about that. The personnel of that battalion was, I believe, equal to that of any battalion we have sent overseas. In some quarters there appears to be a misinterpretation of references respecting the Royal regiment. There has been no criticism of the training of the battalion proper. So far as I am aware there has been no criticism of the equipment which went with that battalion. The minister in his statement to-day has made clear the position with respect to equipment, and I accept every word he has said.
But in a measure the question of providing man-power for reinforcements is raised by the very statement the minister has made. Until the exact facts are established-and he has undertaken to establish them-there is some question in my mind whether the 152 men who went from Camp Borden, among whom was Rifleman MacBeth from a county in New Brunswick, should have been sent. That responsibility is for the permanent officials of the army. If they have not discharged that responsibility it is up to the minister to take action to see that the blame is allocated where it belongs.
Following the minister's statement I was startled to learn that before they were sent

overseas a portion of these men had not been trained for the length of time the officials of the department thought necessary. But that of course raises another difficult question, namely the whole question of reserve manpower, one which I do not propose to discuss in the house to-day. But I would remind the minister and the government that it is a very live issue throughout the country, and an issue which sooner or later parliament, the government and the individual membership of the house must face. The Royal Rifles of Canada at Hong Kong are only incidental to that position. I accept without reserve the factual statement the minister has made respecting these men. Until it is shown to me that there is error in his statement, I accept wholly the statement he has made.
Hong Kong?-before this war is over perhaps there will be more Hong Kongs. We have to make up our minds, the Canadian people have to make up their minds, and the people of the democracies who to-day are faced with a situation more serious than that which has ever confronted the peoples of the world have got to make up their minds that there may be more Hong Kongs. Let us as Canadians-not as partisans-get together and face the facts realistically. Let us do our duty by those we are about to send overseas to fight for us and all that we believe.


Major James William Coldwell: Mr. Speaker, may I add a word at this point? I believe it may be said that we are united in our admiration of the defence made by the men at Hong Kong. I do not agree with the leader of the opposition (Mr. Hanson) when he States that necessarily there should be other Hong Kongs. The criticism has been made that there were some men who were not sufficiently trained and that the equipment was not all that it might have been. I believe the minister's statement provides ground for these criticisms.
I suggest to the Prime Minister (Mr. Mackenzie King) that it is indeed difficult to discuss openly the matter of equipment of men, matters of policy and the training of men either in Newfoundland or in the West Indies. May I add that we saw a Canadian battalion in Newfoundland. We saw the kind of defences they have, and the equipment they have been supplied. I say to the Prime Minister that opportunity should be given the house to discuss these matters in private session, so that no one may be accused at any time of saying anything in the house which might interfere with the war effort.

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Some things ought to be said. Some questions ought to be asked. I hesitate to say those things or to ask those questions in open session. I know everything I say may go across the country, and perhaps into the outside world. In Great Britain secret sessions are held frequently. In November while some of us were in the gallery of the British House of Commons, we heard the Prime Minister, Mr. Churchill, state that later that day the house would go into secret session to discuss the war effort. Many hon. members in this house hesitate at times to ask questions which come to their minds, but which may be based on improper information. But we would like to have the opportunity of discussing these matters thoroughly. There are matters which have been causing some concern to the people of Canada. There was the question respecting the islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon. There is the question of Vichy representation, and the further question of our relationship with Russia. All these matters have been discussed across Canada, and each offers aspects which do not lend themselves to public discussion. They involve other governments and peoples.
I am asking the Prime Minister, as I had intended to do privately before the house opened, had I had the opportunity, to make it possible at an early day for hon. members to ask questions about such matters and get proper information in a closed session.


John Horne Blackmore: Mr. Speaker, I was unable to hear just what the minister (Mr. Ralston) said when he was speaking about the number of troops for which the British had asked. Did they ask for only two battalions?


James Layton Ralston: One or two battalions,
and then later they asked for a modified brigade headquarters.


John Horne Blackmore: It seems to me, on the face of it, that that is a very small number of men to send into such a precarious position. I really find it difficult to make that out. However, there is no use crying over spilt milk, as we say. But surely in times like these it would seem to be a serious matter to send so few men.
I could not quite get the combination of circumstances which delayed the vessel carrying the equipment for these men. I did get the statement about the supply ship getting to Manila and all the rest of it, but I did not get the reason why the ship was unable to leave until so late. I am wondering why the men were not held back until the equipment was ready to go forward. If there is one thing
which has been apparent since the beginning of this war, it is that men simply cannot fight without machines. To send men forward without adequate equipment of all kinds is virtually to offer them for sacrifice. That seems to have been done in this case; at least their lives were needlessly risked.
I believe in the last analysis everyone in the house and in the country will agree that the lives of these men were far more important than the amount of good they were able to do by resisting the enemy for that length of time. It seems to me that if serious criticism is to be offered, it must be offered on this point: these men should never have been sent forward until the equipment was ready to go with them, or until there was reasonable assurance that the equipment would get there in time to protect their lives.
Having heard the story to-day for the first time, it seems strange to me that the ship with those men on board should have left port before the train arrived with the fourteen machines or the fourteen pieces of equipment. Surely the Canadian government or some other government had sufficient power over such ships to delay a sailing long enough for machines to join a ship. If not, I think it is time this house knew about it.


Mr. J. A. ROSS (Souris):: Mr. Speaker, I should like to add a word by way of compliment to the Minister of National Defence (Mr. Ralston) upon the explicit statement he has made.


Georges Parent: There is nothing before the house, only a statement by the minister.


Mr. MACKENZIE (Vancouver Centre):: With unanimous consent.


James Arthur Ross: A lot has been said about the eastern regiment, but I come from Manitoba and I know many of the personnel of the Winnipeg Grenadiers. I have asked many questions in the past of the Minister of National Defence concerning our reserves in case we had difficulty, and from the figures he has given to-day I take it that we were short of trained men to complete these two regiments. I do not know whether that is really so, but I do know that a young friend of mine enlisted from my own community and within three months of being attested he was on his way to Hong Kong. I think that is wrong. Probably we were short of properly trained men. I understood the minister to say that when this investigation is completed the members of the house will be given an explanation as to why these regiments were reinforced in that manner.
The War-Hong Kong

As a member coming from Manitoba I wish to express our great admiration for those chaps who went to Hong Kong. As members of this unit they have done a fine job for Canada. I want also to express our deepest sympathies with the relatives of these men and also with the minister who is responsible at this particular time.


James Layton Ralston: May I say just a word in reply to the hon. member for Lethbridge (Mr. Blackmore)? I did not intend to start a discussion on this occasion, but I thought that a statement should be made now. I assumed that hon. members might want to discuss it in connection with estimates or at any other appropriate time. However, I do not want to let what my hon. friend said with regard to the troopship and the ship bearing munitions pass without comment.
The ship bearing munitions was an eight and a half knot ship, whereas the troopship was a seventeen knot ship. For reasons which I cannot give now to the house and which I indicated in the statement, the original arrangement by the Admiralty was that the troopship had to sail between the twentieth and the thirtieth. That was absolutely necessary; had it not been done then, there would have been no opportunity for sailing for some very considerable time after that. The result was that the troopship had to go. You could not have a convoy, that is, two ships, one a seventeen knot ship and the other an eight and a half knot ship, unless you slowed up the seventeen knot ship. Had that been done the convoy would have been somewhere out in the China sea at the time war with Japan broke. As it was, the troopship and its naval escort got there in twenty days, whereas the cargo ship took over a month. It was not feasible, having regard to the conditions, to hold the troopship back for the munitions ship.


Mr. POULIOT:: The minister should resign on account of the Hong Kong affair.


William Lyon Mackenzie King: I might say to my hon. friend the leader of the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation (Mr. Coldwell) that some of the reasons which the government had in mind earlier in this session and in previous sessions for not holding a secret session do not have the same force at the present time. I think I can assure him and other hon. members of the house that if it is desired to have a secret session, it will be arranged.

There is one point, however, that should be kept in mind with respect to a secret session. The government would wish to have here the officials who would be in a position to give information, and before the session itself was arranged it would be desirable that the government should be made aware of at least some of the matters hon. members might wish to bring up for discussion at that time.


Richard Burpee Hanson: I ask the Prime Minister to keep this in mind. If there is to be a secret session at which criticism is to be levelled at, we will say, the heads of the permanent staff of the Department of National Defence, I do not think those men should be here. The minister is their spokesman, and the members of this house should be free and1 untrammeled to say exactly what they want to say. I have nothing in mind about this matter. So far as I am concerned, this afternoon I have shown a disposition to support the department, and I have tried to support it in days gone by. I supported the department in 1922 when the present Minister of National Defence for Air (Mr. Power) was attacking it. I do not say that to stir up any controversy at the moment, but I do say that if there is to be a secret session, hon. members should be free and untrammeled and not confined by the presence of members of the general staff of the Canadian army. I should like the Prime Minister to take that into consideration.


William Lyon Mackenzie King: It was precisely that sort of thing that I had in mind when I suggested that it would be helpful to the ministry to know in advance what matters it was desired to discuss at a secret session. My hon. friend will realize that questions related to supplies and the like are matters of detail which no minister could possibly hope to answer unless he had his officials present. If it were desired for example to discuss the personnel and qualifications of members of the headquarters' staff, there would be no desire on the part of the government to have them present at the time.
I move that the sitting of the house be suspended until eight o'clock this day.


[Stage Direction]
Motion agreed to.

[Stage Direction]
At 5.20 p.m. the sitting was suspended until 8.00 p.m. this day.

Governor General's Speech

[Stage Direction]
The house resumed at eight o'clock.

[Stage Direction]
A message was delivered by Major A. R. Thompson, Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod, as follows:
Mr. Speaker, His Honour the Deputy of His Excellency the Governor General desires the immediate attendance of this honourable house in the chamber of the honourable the Senate.
Accordingly, Mr. Speaker with the house went up to the Senate chamber.

[Stage Direction]
The Deputy of His Excellency the Governor General was pleased to close the second session of the nineteenth parliament of the Dominion of Canada with the following speech:
Honourable Members of the Senate:
Members of the House of Commons:
Since the present session opened, we have witnessed the extension of war until, to-day, it encompasses the globe. As aggression has succeeded aggression, the active resistance of free peoples everywhere has risen to meet it. The myth of national isolation has vanished from the earth. It is now recognized that the freedom of each nation is bound up in the freedom of all.
A little more than a year ago, the countries of the British commonwealth stood virtually alone, except for China, in armed resistance to the forces seeking domination of the world. In the front line of freedom were the brave people of Britain. Most of the countries of Europe lay at the feet of the conqueror. The heroic resistance of the peoples of Yugoslavia and Greece, the entry as an ally into the war of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the determination and military might of the armed forces of the soviet union, and the achievements of the British and allied forces in Africa have materially changed the outlook in Europe.
A new and very critical situation has been created by Japanese aggression in the far east and by the declaration of war by Japan against the United States, the British commonwealth and the Netherlands. Germany and Italy have joined Japan in declaring war against the United States. In assessing the possible consequences of Japan's action, full account should be taken of the significance of the entry of the United States into war against the combined axis powers.
In Canada, within recent weeks, the world aspect of the conflict has been reflected by formal declarations of the existence of a state of war between Canada and Japan, and shortly before, by similar declarations against Hungary, Roumania, and Finland, whose governments had passed completely under nazi domination.
Canada's action in this respect was a part of the solidarity which now embraces the war effort of all the allies.
In Britain, in the far east, in the skies over Europe and over Africa, and on all the seven seas, Canada's fighting men are upholding freedom. Hostilities in the Pacific have added to our problems and responsibilities. Already by their heroic participation in the defence of the island fortress of Hong Kong, Canadian troops have written an immortal chapter of Canadian valour.
The whole economy of Canada has been increasingly directed to meet the needs of war. There has been a steady and orderly mobilization of material resources and of men and women for the widely varied tasks of modern total war.
Additional precautions have been taken for civil defence.
Further provision has been made for the dependents of members of the armed forces.
Reciprocity in the war production of Canada and the United States was established as a result of the agreement reached at Hyde Park in April last. The war production of the two countries has been further increased by subsequent joint agreements.
Comprehensive and drastic measures have been taken to control the cost of living and to prevent inflation.
My government has maintained close association with His Majesty's governments in Britain, and other parts of the British commonwealth, and with those of the allied powers. My Prime Minister and several of my ministers have visited the United Kingdom for consultation and conference. The Prime Minister of Great Britain, the Prime Ministers of Australia and New Zealand, other ministers from different parts of the commonwealth, and distinguished representatives of the allied governments have also visited Canada. These personal exchanges have heartened and strengthened our common effort.
Of particular significance have been the meeting at sea and the conferences held at Washington between the Prime Minister of Great Britain and the President of the United States, and the visit to Canada of the Prime Minister of Great Britain. In these conferences, my Prime Minister and other of my ministers have been both directly and indirectly associated. The Atlantic Charter agreed upon between the President of the United States and the Prime Minister of Great Britain has been approved by all the allied nations. It sets forth underlying principles of a new world order upon which all are agreed. An outcome of the conferences at Washington was the important declaration, signed at Washington, at the beginning of the present year by the representatives of twenty-six nations. It binds each of the several countries to employ all of its resources against the axis powers, and not to conclude a separate armistice or peace.
In the course of the present session, the people of Canada learned with regret of the death of
[Stage Direction]
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Address oj Right Hon. Mr. Churchill
two former governors general. The names of His Royal Highness the Duke of Connaught and the Marquess of Willingdon will remain outstanding among those of the distinguished representatives, in Canada, of His Majesty the King.
Members of the House of Commons:
I thank you for the financial appropriations you have made. Their unprecedented magnitude is but one of many evidences of the determination of the Canadian people to put forth their utmost effort in the winning of the war. Honourable Members of the Senate:
Members of the House of Commons:
I devoutly join with you in invoking the aid of Divine Providence in the preservation of our Christian civilization.
This concluded the second session of the nineteenth parliament.

[Stage Direction]
THE RIGHT HONOURABLE WINSTON S. CHURCHILL Prime Minister oj Great Britain

[Stage Direction]
HOUSE OF COMMONS CHAMBER, OTTAWA Tuesday, December 80, 1941, at 3 p.m.
Mr. Churchill was introduced by Mr. Mackenzie King.
Hon. James Allison Glen, Speaker of the House of Commons, presided.
Georges Parent: Your Royal Highness,
Mr. Churchill, honourable members of the Senate and of the House of Commons, ladies and gentlemen: I would ask the Right Honourable Mackenzie King, the Prime Minister of Canada, to introduce the Right Honourable Winston Churchill, the Prime Minister of Britain.


William Lyon Mackenzie King: Mr. Speaker, hon. members of the Senate and of the House of Commons, on behalf of the Government and people of Canada I have the honour this afternoon to renew the welcome already extended from all parts of our country to the Prime Minister of Britain, the Right Hon. Winston Churchill.
I desire to express to Mr. Churchill the thanks of the entire country for his visit to Canada at this time. I thank him also for having so kindly consented, while in our capital city, to address the members of the two Houses of Parliament, and to speak, from this House of Commons chamber, to all the people of Canada.
I need not say to Mr. Churchill how unbounded is our admiration of the brave people of Britain. Nor need I tell him how completely he is, to us, the personification of Britain's greatness. That greatness was never more apparent than in this time of gravest crisis in the history of the world.
I speak, Mr. Churchill, for all the members of both Houses when I say that the Parliament of Canada was never more sure of its
ground than when, at the very beginning of the war, it took its stand at the side of Britain in her determination to thwart aggression and to preserve freedom. Canada was never prouder of that stand than today, when, after sharing in arms for more than two and a quarter years, with Britain and other of the nations of the British Commonwealth in the defence of freedom, she is honoured, as we especially are this afternoon, by the presence in her halls of parliament of the man who, by his clear vision, undaunted courage, inspired utterance and heroic spirit, has given such incomparable leadership to the hosts of freedom.
Again I speak for all members of parliament and for the Canadian people as a whole when I say that we are unreservedly determined to maintain our stand at Britain's side and at the side of the other nations that fight for freedom. In that determination we are also resolved to put forth our utmost effort until the day of ultimate triumph over the evil forces that now seek to dominate the world.
Mr. Churchill, it is the prayer of the people of Canada that the Divine Power by which your life has been guided and guarded amid the perils and vicissitudes of war may continue to give you the vision, the wisdom and the endurance required for your mighty task. May you be spared to share in the hour of victory the reward of your life's endeavours.
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister of Great Britain, the Right Honourable Winston Churchill.

Address of Right Hon. Mr. Churchill


Right Hon. WINSTON SPENCER CHURCHILL (Prime Minister of Great Britain):: Mr. Speaker, members of the
Senate and members of the House of Commons, it is with feelings of pride and encouragement that I find myself here in the House of Commons of Canada invited to address the Parliament of the senior Dominion of the Crown. I am very glad to see again my old friend Mr. Mackenzie King, for fifteen out of twenty years your Prime Minister, and I thank him for the all too complimentary terms in which he has referred to myself.
I bring you, Mr. Speaker, the assurance of good will and affection from everyone in the motherland. We are most grateful for all you have done in the common cause, and we know that you are resolved to do whatever more is possible as the need arises and as opportunity serves.
Canada, Sir, occupies a unique position in the British Empire because of its unbreakable ties with Britain and its ever-growing friendship and intimate association with the United States. Canada is a potent magnet, drawing together those in the new world and in the old whose fortunes are now united in a deadly struggle for life and honour against tLje common foe.
The contribution of Canada to the imperial war effort, in troops, in ships, in aircraft, in food and in finance has been magnificent. The Canadian army now stationed in England has chafed not to find itself in contact with the enemy, but I am here to tell you that it has stood and still stands in the key position to strike at the invader should he land upon our shores. In a few months, when the invasion season returns, the Canadian army may be engaged in one of the most frightful battles the world has ever seen. Upon the other hand their presence may help to deter the enemy from attempting to fight such a battle on British soil. Although, Sir, the long routine of training and preparation is undoubtedly trying to men who left prosperous farms and businesses or other responsible civil work, inspired by an eager and ardent desire to fight the enemy, although this is trying to high-mettled temperaments, the value of the service rendered is unquestionable, and the peculiar kind of self-sacrifice involved, will, I am sure, be cheerfully or at least patiently endured.
Sir, the Canadian government has imposed no limitation upon the use of the Canadian army whether upon the continent of Europe or elsewhere, and I think it extremely unlikely that this war will end without the Canadian army coming to close quarters with the Germans as their fathers did at Ypres, on the Somme, or on the Vimy Ridge.
Already, at Hong Kong, that beautiful colony which the industry and mercantile enterprise of Britain has raised from a desert isle and made the greatest port of shipping in the whole world, at Hong Kong, that colony wrested from us for a time, until we reach the peace table, by the overwhelming power of the home forces of Japan to which it lay in proximity-at Hong Kong soldiers of the Royal Rifles of Canada and the Winnipeg Grenadiers, under a brave officer whose loss we mourn, have played a valuable part in gaining precious days and have crowned with military honour the reputation of their native land.
Another major contribution made by Canada to the imperial war effort is the wonderful and gigantic empire training scheme for pilots for the royal and imperial air forces. This has now been, as you know well, in full career for nearly two years under conditions free from all interference by the enemy.
The daring youth of Canada, Australia, New Zealand, together with many thousands from the homeland, are perfecting their training under the best conditions, and we have been assisted on a large scale by the United States, many of whose training facilities have been placed at our disposal. This scheme will provide us in 1942 and 1943 with the highest class of trained pilots, observers and air gunners, in the numbers necessary to man the enormous flow of aircraft which the factories of Britain, of the empire and of the United States are and will be producing.
I c-ould, Sir, speak also on the naval production of corvettes, and above all of merchant ships, which is proceeding on a scale almost equal to the building of the United Kingdom, all of which Canada has set on foot.
I could speak of many other activities-of tanks, of the special forms of modern high-velocity cannon, of the great supplies of raw materials and many other elements essential to our war effort, on which your labours are ceaselessly and tirelessly engaged. But I must, not let my address to you become a catalogue'. I turn to less technical fields of thought.
Sir, we did not make this war. We did not seek it. We did all we could to avoid it. We did too much 'to avoid it. We went so far in trying to avoid it as to be almost destroyed by it when it broke upon us. But that dangerous corner has been turned, and with every month and every year that passes we shall confront the evil-doers with weapons as plentiful, as sharp and as destructive as those with which they have sought to establish their hateful domination.
I should Like to point out to you, Mr. Speaker, that we have not at any time asked
4480	COMMONS
Address of Right Hon. Mr. Churchill
for any mitigation in the fury or malice of the enemy. The peoples of the British Empire may love peace. They do not seek the lands or wealth of any country. But they are a tough and hardy lot. We have not journeyed all this way across the centuries, across the oceans, across the mountains, across the prairies, because we are made of sugar candy.
Look at the Londoners, the cockneys. Look at what they stood up to, grim andi gay, with their cry, " We can take it," and their wartime mood

" What is good enough for anybody is good enough for us."
We have not asked th-at the rules of the game should be modified. We shall never descend to the German and Japanese level; but if anybody likes to play rough we can play rough too. Hitler and his Nazi gang have sown the wind; let them reap the whirlwind. Neither the length of the struggle nor any fotm of severity which it may assume shall make us weary or shall make us quit. I have been all this week with the President of the United States, that great man whom destiny has marked for this climax of human fortune. We have been concerting the united pacts and resolves of more than thirty states and nations to fight on in unity together and in fidelity one to another, without any thought except the total and final extirpation of the Hitler tyranny, the Japanese frenzy and the Mussolini flop.
There shall be no halting or half measures, there shall be no compromise or parley. These gangs of bandits have sought to darken the light of the world, have sought to stand between the common people of all the lands and their march forward into their inheritance; they shall themselves be cast into the pit of death and shame. And only when the earth has been cleansed and purged of their crimes and their villainy will we turn from the task which they have forced upon us, a task which we were reluctant to undertake, but which we will now most faithfully and punctiliously discharge.
Mr. Speaker, according to my sense of proportion this is no time to speak of hopes of the future or of the broader world which lies beyond our straggles and our victory. We have to win that world for our children. We have to win it by our sacrifices. We have not won it yet. The crisis is -upon us. The power of the enemy is immense. If we were in any way to underrate the strength, the resources or the ruthless savagery of that enemy we should jeopardize not only our lives-for they will be offered freely-but the cause of hu-man freedom and progress to which we 'have vowed ourselves and all we have. We cannot for a moment, Sir, afford to relax. On the contrary, we must drive ourselves forward with unrelenting zeal. In this
strange, terrible world war there is a place for everyone, man and woman, old and young, hale and halt. Service in. a thousand forms is o-pen. There is no room now for the dilettante, for the weakling, fo-r the shirker or the sluggard. The -mine, the factory, the dockyard, the salt sea waves, the fields to till, the home, the hospital, the chair of the scientist, the pulpit of the preacher-from the highest to the humblest, the tasks all are of equal *honour. All have their part to play. The enemies ranged against us, coalesced and combined against us, have asked for total war. Let us make sure they get it.
That grand -old minstrel, Barry Lauder-Sir Harry Lauder, I should say, andi no honour was better deserved-had a song in the last war which began:
If we all look back o'er the history of the past,
We can just see where we are.
Let us then look back. Sir, we plunged into this war all unprepared because we had pledged our word to stand by the side of Poland, which Hitler had feloniously invaded and, in spite of a gallant resistance, had soon struck down. There followed that astonishing seven months which were called on this side of the Atlantic the "phoney" war. Suddenly the explosion of pent-up German strength and preparation -burst -upon Norway, Denmark, Holland and Belgium. All these absolutely blameless neutrals, to most of whom Germany up to the last moment was giving every kind of guarantee and- assurance, were overran and trampled down. The hideous massacre of Rotterdam, where thirty thousand people perished, showed the ferocious barbarism in which the German- air force revels when, as in Warsaw and later Belgrade, it was able to bomb practically undefended cities.
On top of all this came the great French catastrophe. The French army collapsed and the French nation was dashed into utter and, as it has proved so far, irretrievable confusion. The French government had, at their own suggestion, solemnly bound themselves with us not to make a separate peace. It was their duty, and it was also their interest, to go to North Africa, where they would have been, at the head of the French empire. In Africa with our aid they would -have had overwhelming sea power; they would have had the recognition of the United1 States, and the use of all the gold they have lodged beyond the seas. If they had done this, Italy might have been driven out of the war before the end of 1940, and France would have -held her place as a nation in the councils of the allies, and at the conference table of the victors.
But -their generals misled them. When I warned them that Britain would, fight on alone, whatever they did, their generals told

Address of Right Hon. Mr. Churchill
their Prime Minister and his divided cabinet, "In three weeks England will have her neck wrung like a chicken." Some chicken! Some neck!
What a contrast, Sir, has been the behaviour of the valiant, stout-hearted Dutch, who still stand forth as a strong-living partner in the struggle. Their venerated Queen and their government are in England. Their princess and her children have found asylum and protection here in your midst. But the Dutch nation are defending their empire with dogged courage and tenacity by land, sea and in the air. Their submarines are inflicting a heavy daily toll upon the Japanese robbers Who have come across the seas to steal the wealth of the East Indies, and to ravage and exploit its fertility and its civilization.
The British Empire and the United States are going to the aid of the Dutch. We are going to fight out this new war against Japan together. We have suffered together and we shall conquer together. But the men of Bordeaux, the men of Vichy-they would do nothing like this. They lie prostrate at the foot of the conqueror. They fawned, upon him. And what have they got out of it? The fragment of France which was left to them is just as powerless, just as hungry as, and even more miserable because more divided than the occupied regions themselves. Hitler plays from day to day a oat and mouse game with these tormented men. One day he will charge them a little less for holding their countrymen down. Another day he will let out a few thousand broken prisoners of war from the million and a half or million and three quarters he has collected. Or, again, he will shoot a hundred French hostages to give them a taste of the lash. On these blows and favours the Vichy government have been content to live from day to day. But even this will not go on indefinitely. At any moment it may suit Hitler's plans to brush them away. Their only guarantee is Hitler's good faith which, as everyone knows, biteth like the adder and stingeth like the asp. Some Frenchmen there were who would not bow their knees and who under General de Gaulle have continued to fight at the side of the allies. They have been condemned to death by the men of Vichy, but their names will be held, and are being held, in increasing respect by nine Frenchmen out of every ten throughout the once happy, smiling land of France.
But now, Sir, strong forces are at hand. The tide has turned against the hun. Britain, which the men of Bordeaux thought and, then hoped would soon be finished, Britain with her empire around her carried the weight of the war alone for a whole long year through the darkest part of the valley. She is growing stronger every day. You can see it here in Canada. Anyone who has the slightest knowledge of our affairs is aware that very soon we shall be superior in every form of equipment to those who have taken us at the disadvantage of being but half armed.
The Russian armies under their warrior leader Joseph Stalin are waging furious war with increasing success along a thousand-mile front of their invaded country. General Auchinleck at the head of a British, South African, New Zealand and Indian army is striking down and mopping up the German and Italian forces who had attempted the invasion of Egypt. Not only, Sir, are they being mopped up in the desert but great numbers of them have been drowned on the way there by the British submarines and the Royal Air Force, in which Australian squadrons play their part. As I speak this afternoon an important battle is being fought around Agedabia. We must not attempt to prophesy its result, but I have good confidence. Sir, all this fighting in Libya proves that when our men have equal weapons in their hands and proper support from the air they are more than a match for the Nazi hordes.
In Libya as in Russia events of great importance and of most hopeful import have taken place. But, greatest of all, the mighty republic of the United States has entered the conflict and entered it in a manner which shows that for her there can be no withdrawal except by death or victory.
Et partout dans la France occupee et in-occupee, ear leur sort est egal, les honnetes gens, le grand peuple, la nation frangaise, se redressent. L'espoir se rallume dans les coeurs d'une race guerriere, meme desarmee, berceau des libertes revolutionnaires, et terrible aux vainqueurs. Partout on voit le point du jour et la lumiere grandit, rougeatre mais claire.
Nous ne perdrons jamais confiance que la France jouera le role des hommes fibres et qu'elle reprendra, par des voies dures, sa place dans la grande compagnie des nations liberatrices et victorieuses.
Ici, au Canada, ou la langue frangaise est honoree et parlee, nous nous tenons prets et armes pour aider et saluer cette resurrection nationale.
(Translation): And everywhere in occupied or unoccupied France, their lot being the same, the decent portion of that great people, the French nation, are raising their heads again. Hope is revived in the hearts of a warlike though disarmed race, cradle of revolutionary liberties and scourge of conquerors. Everywhere breaks the dawn and the fight spreads, reddish but bright.
44S2	COMMONS
Address of Right Hon. Mr. Churchill
We shall ever be confident that France will play the part of free men and that she will regain, after many tribulations, a place among the great victorious and liberating nations.
Here in Canada, where the French language is cherished and spoken, we stand ready and armed to help and welcome this national resurrection.
(Text): Now that the whole of the North American continent is becoming one gigantic armed camp; now that the immense reserve power of Russia is gradually becoming apparent; now that long-suffering, unconquerable China sees help approaching; now that the outraged and subjugated nations can see daylight ahead, it is permissible to take a broad forward view of the war.
Sir, we may observe three main periods or phases in the struggle that lies before us. First, there is the period of consolidation, of combination, and of final preparation. In this period, which will certainly be marked by much heavy fighting, we shall still be gathering our strength, resisting the assaults of the enemy, and acquiring the necessary overwhelming air superiority and shipping tonnage to give our armies the power to traverse, in whatever numbers may be necessary, the seas and oceans which, except in the case of Russia, separate us all from our foe. It is only when the vast shipbuilding programme, on which the United States has already made so much progress, and which you are powerfully aiding, comes into full flood, that we shall be able to bring the whole force of our manhood and of our modern scientific equipment to bear upon the enemy. How long this period will take depends upon the vehemence of the effort put into production in all our war industries and shipyards.
The second phase, Sir, which will then be open may be called the phase of liberation. During this phase we must look to the recovery of the territories which have been lost or which may yet be lost, and also we must look to the revolt of the conquered peoples from the moment that the rescuing and liberating armies and air forces appear in strength within their bounds. For this purpose it is imperative that no nation, or region overrun, that no government or state which has been conquered, should relax its moral and physical efforts and preparations for the day of deliverance. The invaders, be they Germans or Japanese, must everywhere
be regarded as infected persons, to be shunned and isolated as far as possible. Where active resistance is impossible, passive resistance must be maintained. The invaders and tyrants must be made to feel that their fleeting triumphs will have a terrible reckoning, and that they are hunted men and that their cause is doomed. Particular punishment will be reserved for the Quislings and traitors who make themselves the tools of the enemy. They will be handed over to the judgment of their fellow countrymen.
Sir, there is a third phase which must also be contemplated, namely, the assault upon the citadels and homelands of the guilty powers both in Europe and in Asia.
Thus I endeavour in a few words to cast some forward light upon the dark inscrutable mysteries of the future. But in thus forecasting the course along which we should seek to advance we must never forget that the power of the enemy and the action of the enemy may at every stage affect our fortunes. Moreover, Sir, you will notice that I have not attempted to assign any time limits to the various phases. These time limits depend upon our exertions, upon our achievements, and upon the hazardous and uncertain course of the war.
Nevertheless, I feel it is right at this moment to make it clear that, while an ever-increasing bombing offensive against Germany will remain one of the principal methods by which we hope to bring the war to an end, it is by no means the only method which our growing strength now enables us to take into account. Evidently the most strenuous exertions must be made by all. As to the form which those exertions take, that is for each partner in the Grand Alliance to judge for himself in consultation with others and in harmony with the general scheme.
Let us then, Sir, address ourselves to our task, not in any way underrating its tremendous difficulties and perils, but in good heart and sober confidence, resolved that, whatever the cost, whatever the suffering, we shall stand by one another, true and faithful comrades, and do our duty, God helping us, to the end.


Georges Parent: We will close this historic meeting with the singing of the National Anthem.
The National Anthem having been sung, the gathering dispersed with three cheers for Mr. Churchill.


END OF VOLUME IV