1949-09-16

BRITISH EMPIRE SERVICE LEAGUE


Mr. Speaker:: No doubt hon. members have noticed in the press that the tenth biennial conference of the British Empire Service League is now being held in Ottawa. A number of distinguished delegates to this conference are with us this afternoon and are now seated in the south gallery. I am confident that you would like me to extend to them on your behalf a very warm welcome to our midst.
Delegates have come to Canada from some twenty-one different countries of the commonwealth. Those who are with us this afternoon represent the following countries: Antigua, Australia, England, Gold Coast, India, Ireland (northern area); Ireland (southern area); Malaya, Newfoundland, New Zealand, Nigeria, Nyasaland, Pakistan, Rhodesia, Scotland, Sierra Leone, South Africa, St. Lucia, Trinidad and Wales.
You will notice that the delegation is made up of both men and women. These delegates, together with the delegates of our own Canadian legion, are under the outstanding leadership of their chairman, Lieutenant General Sir John Brown. I can assure them that they are indeed welcome guests to Canada, and I have pleasure in expressing to them on your behalf the earnest hope that their deliberations will prove of far-reaching benefit to the many hundreds of thousands of ex-service men and women who have so valiantly and well served in His Majesty's armed forces.



REPORTS AND PAPERS

[Stage Direction]
(For list of departmental and other reports tabled, see Votes and Proceedings, No. 2, of September 16, 1949.)


[Stage Direction]
On the orders of the day:
Mr. Stanley Knowles (Winnipeg North Centre):: I should like to direct a question either to the Minister of Finance or the Minister of National Revenue. In view of the
recent favourable decision by the exchequer court, what action will the government take to provide for the allowing of trade union dues as a deduction from taxable income for income tax purposes?


Hon. J. J. McCann (Minister of National Revenue):: I thank the hon. member for having given notice of his question. I shall give him an answer early next week.



TARIFFS AND TRADE


[Stage Direction]
On the orders of the day:
Mr. Victor Quelch (Acadia):: I desire to address a question to the Secretary of State for External Affairs. Would it be possible for him to table the report of the proceedings of the conference held at Annecy?


Hon. L. B. Pearson (Secretary of State for External Affairs):: The results of the tariff negotiations conducted at Annecy will be made public on or about the 10th of October by the United Nations, and at that time will be published also in the various capitals of the countries represented at the conference. In addition to those already tabled, documents arising out of the operation of the general agreement on tariffs and trade will be tabled in this house in due course.



NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL


[Stage Direction]
On the orders of the day:
Mr. Gordon Graydon (Peel):: In view of the fact that tomorrow the North Atlantic council meets in Washington, would the Secretary of State for External Affairs care to indicate the composition of the Canadian delegation to that council, and also in general what position our delegation will take at this very important meeting?


Lester Bowles Pearson: The hon. gentleman was good enough to give me notice of this question. It is true that the North Atlantic council will hold its first session tomorrow morning in Washington. Canada will be represented at that meeting by myself as Secretary of State for External Affairs, and I shall be

Inquiries of the Ministry accompanied by the under-secretary and will also have the assistance of the Canadian embassador in Washington.
When the Atlantic pact was signed last April it was agreed to establish a working party to prepare for presentation to the members of the council at its first meeting a report on a suitable organization to be established under article 9 of the pact. That working group, on which Canada was represented, has completed its work, and its report will be the main order of business at the council meeting tomorrow morning. At this stage, of course, I cannot give the house any indication of the details of that report, but we hope it will be made public either Saturday evening or Monday. I can say, however, that it provides for the establishment of a defence council which would consist of the defence ministers of the various countries concerned, or their representatives, and also for certain subsidiary organizations in the field of defence planning and military supply. When the report has been considered and approved by the council it will be made public.
The report has been considered by the government, and we think it provides a suitable basis for the organization required under the Atlantic pact, so that it can become an effective instrument for the carrying out of its primary purpose, that of assisting the United Nations in preserving peace and preventing aggression.



SRITISH NORTH AMERICA ACT


[Stage Direction]
On the orders of the day:
Mr. Donald M. Fleming (Eglinion):: In view of the importance of the correspondence tabled yesterday by the Prime Minister, including letters to the premiers of Ontario and Quebec in relation to the amendment of the British North America Act, would the right hon. gentleman consider proposing that those letters be printed either in Hansard or in Votes and Proceedings?


Right Hon. L. S. St. Laurent (Prime Minister):: If it is the desire of hon. members that these letters be printed as an appendix to Hansard, I do not think there could be any objection; and if Your Honour will so direct,
I think most hon. members will be glad to have them in that convenient form.
(For text of letter to premiers of provinces, see appendix, pages 25 and 26.



COLLECTIVE SECURITY


[Stage Direction]
On the orders of the day:
Mr. T. L. Church (Broadview):: I should like to ask the Secretary of State for External Affairs whether the government will consider the question of a Pacific pact. The Atlantic pact involves only two hundred million people at our front door, whereas a Pacific pact would involve all of the people of Asia, amounting to two or three times that number.


Lester Bowles Pearson: The hon. gentleman has raised a very important question, which it would be hardly appropriate for me to go into at this time. I can tell him, however, that the matter he has mentioned, the establishment of a collective security arrangement in the Pacific, has been considered by all the Pacific countries in recent months, particularly by those who are even more directly concerned than Canada. There are, of course, some obvious difficulties in the way at the present time. The matter, however, is of great importance, and I am sure that all the governments concerned will continue to give it consideration.


Thomas Langton Church: There is ten times more reason for considering a Pacific pact than there was for an Atlantic pact.



SPEECH FROM THE THRONE


[Stage Direction]
The house proceeded to the consideration of the speech delivered by His Excellency the Governor General at the opening of the session.
(Translation):
Mr. Maurice Boisvert (Nicolei-Yamaska):: Mr. Speaker, it is with unconcealed emotion and deep apprehension that I rise to speak in this House of Commons which, for close to a century, so often rang with the voices of so many masters of eloquence sprung from our great Canadian political parties. What immense pride it gives me, however, to discharge such a pleasant duty as moving an address to His Excellency the Governor General of Canada, in reply to the gracious speech, so full of promise for the future of our nation, which His Excellency has been pleased to make to both houses meeting on this solemn and moving occasion of the opening of a new parliament, proudly attended for the first time by hon. members of the new province of Newfoundland whom all

hon. members of the other provinces are glad to see and welcome today.
Seconded by the hon. member for Vancouver South (Mr. Arthur Laing), I have the honour to move:
That the following address be presented to His Excellency the Governor General of Canada:
To His Excellency the Right Honourable Viscount Alexander of Tunis, Governor General of Canada and Commander in Chief of Canada:
May it please Your Excellency:
We, His Majesty's most dutiful and loyal subjects, the House of Commons of Canada, in parliament assembled, beg leave to offer our humble thanks to Your Excellency for the gracious speech which Your Excellency has addressed to both houses of parliament.
I now hasten to congratulate you, Mr. Speaker, on your elevation to the speakership of this house. It was a cause of sincere rejoicing for all of us to learn that you were chosen to fulfil such noble and important duties. A better choice would not have been possible and the government deserves our gratitude for having made it. The sterling qualities I know you to possess had destined you for 'the functions you will discharge. Guardian of the prerogatives of our house, you will, we are sure, guide our debates with dignity and impartiality. I am convinced that all hon. members will strive to ease your task because they trust your uprightness and your spirit of fairness. There are men who exalt the public functions to which they are appointed. You are, like your predecessors, one of those men. If our parliament enjoys so great a prestige it is due to the unquestionable worth of its Speakers. Anything I might add to what I have just said would be a verbal garland which would offend your modesty.
To some people, our constitutional institution may seem antiquated and ridiculous. There are writers who make fun of our parliamentary procedure. Recently I read the following statement made by Sir Herbert Morrison, Lord President of the council, in England:
We must not be mistaken as to the survival of ancient customs and practices. Some say:	Such
an institution dates back to the "pre-machine" era! It goes back to the feudal ages! It should, at all costs, be adapted to modern needs! I believe they are taking form for substance. Judging by the results, I declare that our parliament is the most efficient instrument in the world, the best adapted to its end. One should see the practical utility of our "anachronisms." Why must all this pomp and panoply accompany Mr. Speaker? Why such extreme deference in word and gesture when addressing him? Why the wig and robes? Why all the bowing before the Chair when entering or leaving the house? Why such courtesy-supposedly out of date -during the debates, when the worst adversary is called an "honourable member," "gentleman of honour," "learned gentleman" or "right honourable gentleman"? Members entering the house for the first time look upon the whole ceremonial as an absurd custom handed down from ancient times.
The Address-Mr. Boisvert
But they very soon realize that it adds greatly to the authority of the presiding officer, is conducive to the maintenance of good order during debates, and exalts the dignity and "esprit de corps" of the house in the eyes of all, both inside and outside parliament.
May I be permitted to say, with regard to this judicious comment, that our well-ordered procedure is the safest guarantee against any form of political, economic or social dictatorship. We must already keep in mind the possibility of a social dictatorship! I hope to have during this session an opportunity of supplying particulars in the language of the majority. I have the most sincere respect for my English-speaking countrymen and the greatest confidence in their desire to achieve Canadian unity of such a strength that we shall be able, without clashes or efforts, to maintain the traditions and the prosperity of our country.
(Text):
If I have insisted on quoting Sir Herbert Morrison at length it is because I believe, as he does, in the supreme value of the institutions which have been transmitted to us through tradition. According to established custom I must address this house in my mother tongue, which is the old French language. I will not quote the British North America Act-although I could-as the basis of my right to use that language. I would rather invoke the established custom to which I have referred, and which does greater credit to our parliament and the country as a whole.
The French spoken in Quebec is not the fancy French spoken by the Parisian. It is the old French of the seventeenth century, which we jealously safeguard, knowing that from the standpoint of basic French it compares with Parisian speech. . The knowledge of French acquired in Quebec equals that which could be acquired in France. What notable service would be rendered if we dispelled this legend of Parisian French, which is not a use of words different from ours but is merely a relatively new way of expressing oneself. Whoever reads Moliere and then talks to a French Canadian will soon recognize in the latter's conversation words used by the former in writing his immortal masterpieces.
The text from which I quoted Sir Herbert Morrison was written by him in the language which I am using with pride today. 1 know this pride will be shared by my constituents in particular, and by all French Canadians in Canada, who will be deeply grateful to the Prime Minister for having chosen me, as a representative of an entirely French-speaking constituency, to move in my own tongue the address in reply to the speech of the

The Address-Mr. Boisvert will be looked upon as the statesman who, more than any other, saw to it that politics be conditioned by the historical and juridical evolution of the country.
With the Statute of Westminster, which goes back only to 1931, Canada received a charter of independence; with the legislation the government intends to introduce, she will obtain the charter of her complete and absolute independence.
The three aspects of the question are closely interlinked.
In the logical order in which they appear in the speech from the throne, the abolition of appeals to the privy council comes first in the form of a bill to be introduced to amend the Supreme Court Act so that the latter will have final and exclusive jurisdiction in all matters. At this point, a brief historical review is in order.
Before 1875 the supreme court did not exist although governments had attempted to create it.
In 1875 the Liberal administration of the Hon. Mr. Mackenzie brought in a bill instituting the Supreme Court of Canada.
The Hon. Mr. Fournier, the then Minister of Justice, indicated during the discussions that abolition of appeals to the privy council might be provided for:
He would very much like to have a clause inserted stating that the right of appeal to the privy council no longer exists. There were strong reasons in favour of the right of appeal to the privy council, but there were even stronger ones against that right. This right of appeal has been widely used, and he might add considerably abused, in the province of Quebec by wealthy people and corporations so as to force plaintiffs to compromise when they had won their case before the courts of the country. However, as he already stated, he made no mention of this in the bill now before the house, but left it aside for decision on some future occasion.
Sir John Macdonald followed the minister
and, after congratulating the government, stated:
As to the matter of appeals to the Privy Council, he had always been of the opinion that, as long as we remained in a state of dependence, it was important to maintain the right of every Canadian, as of every other British subject, to appeal to the court of highest jurisdiction, although in his estimation such right of appeal was sometimes a means of oppression in the case of a rich man against a poor man, because of the considerable costs involved. It seemed to him that the ruthless abandonment of the right of appeal meant the severance of one of the ties binding this nation to the mother country.
Since that date, the abolition of appeals has been a subject of controversy and it has always been demanded by a large body of public opinion in this country. In 1904 a league organized in the province of Quebec ardently urged abolition of these appeals. 
The Hon. Rodolphe Lemieux, member for Nicolet and one of the movers of the address in reply to the speech from the throne in 1896, was an ardent advocate of abolition.
In 1916, the Canadian Senate collected opinions from several legal experts.
In 1938, a direct bill to abolish appeals to the privy council was introduced before the Canadian parliament by Hon. Mr. Cahan.
The Right Hon. Ernest Lapointe, then Minister of Justice, requested closer study of the constitutional and legal problems involved in this important legislation.
In 1939, the matter again came up before parliament in the form of a bill, No. 9, amending the Supreme Court of Canada Act which would give the latter exclusive, final and definite jurisdiction. On April 24, 1939, it was decided to adjourn the debate to refer the constitutional character of the act to the Supreme Court of Canada.
On January 19, 1940, the Supreme Court of Canada declared that the act was constitutional. An appeal was made to the privy council and the decision was confirmed by the latter on January 13, 1947.
During the last session a bill was introduced in parliament for the purpose of granting the public's wish to see Canada at last enjoy supreme authority in legal matters.
Three opinions now prevail among members of the legal profession: The first one is to the effect that the abolition of appeals to the privy council may place the provinces in a precarious position as regards their constitutional rights and powers and the government of Canada cannot give to the Supreme Court of Canada final and exclusive jurisdiction with respect to anything that relates to the matters exclusively attributed to the provinces by the British North America Act.
According to a second opinion, we should maintain appeals to the privy council for the following reasons: (a) the council's decisions are a useful contribution to our common jurisprudence; (b) those appeals are one of the last links which bind us to the empire and their continuance will help us foster better understanding and will help us achieve a higher concept of justice and of the high attributes we give to it.
It is even being suggested that the government absorb the costs when it pleads against a private individual and that certain talented jurists in Canada be made members of the privy council. A third avers that Canada should enjoy full and absolute sovereignty and that its appeals to a tribunal of Great Britain is a vestige of a form of independence which no longer suits our status as an independent nation.

The privy council's decision disposes of these arguments.
Since 1939, the historical evolution of Canada has progressed rapidly.
In September 1939, Canada entered the war, which enabled England to resist the invader after the defeat of France. Our hearts are still echoing with the pathetic words spoken by Churchill when he lauded our war effort. To the immortal glory of our pioneers is added that of Canadian servicemen of the first and second world wars.
At the end of the war, Canada, together with her cousins to the south, pulled Europe out of the squalor of its pitiful and horrible troubles. Then Canada joined the United Nations, annexed Newfoundland, obtained an amendment to her constitution in order to give the province of Quebec representation proportionate to her population. Lastly, on March 15, 1949, the Canadian government signed the North Atlantic treaty as a country enjoying the most absolute measure of sovereignty, under international law.
Such a rapid development in our evolution enables us to fully understand that part of the speech from the throne which reads as follows:
You will be asked to approve constitutional measures designed to facilitate the attainment of the constitutional limits of our nationhood.
On February 3, 1949, the right hon. the Prime Minister stated:
A nation which, like Canada, takes pride in its peacetime achievement must assume all the responsibilities of a sovereign state. A sovereign state cannot let the courts of another country have the final say in its litigation.
There is another vestige of our colonial past of which I should like Canada to he freed. You all know that the terms of confederation are written in the British North America Act. This act is the charter of Canadian union, the essential part of our constitution.
This evolution is not directed against any country. It is a natural condition with free people and I find this confirmed in the preamble to the North Atlantic pact:
They are determined to safeguard the freedom, common heritage and civilization of their peoples, founded on the principles of democracy, individual liberty and the rule of law.
A nation's freedom must remain indivisible, if that nation is expected to play its full part in world affairs and promote permanent peace. I submit therefore that Canada, a sovereign country as far as the executive and legislature powers are concerned, should also be sovereign in the matter of judicial powers.
It is quite apparent that Canada must be empowered to amend its constitution, subject to the conditions outlined in the speech from the throne. I congratulate the government for taking the necessary steps. History shall
The Address-Mr. Boisvert record them as landmarks of our development, a development achieved without a single drop of blood being shed. Wars and revolutions have always brought about changes in the constitution of countries, empires, kingdoms and ancient democracies. Most countries have won their liberty and independence through bloodshed; in Canada, however, liberty and independence are the fruit of wisdom and sagacity, of understanding and good will. Our country stands as a living example of the tolerance, magnanimity and happy outlook needed for the logical development of the universal order of things.
I note with great satisfaction that the government is anxious, in spite of all that has been said during the past few years, to co-operate with the provinces. An examination of the speech from the throne reveals that the government is desirous of avoiding anything that may bring about conflicts between the federal and provincial authorities. It would be useless to work for the maintenance of peace if we cannot, within our own boundaries, come to an understanding in the best interest of our people. The various components that make up our country must combine their efforts to ensure our economic expansion and a greater Canada. Those matters must remain above party politics. True patriotism dictates the policy that should prevail in our internal relations.
The time at my disposal allows only brief consideration of our external relations. We are faced with this dilemma: on the one hand, United Nations; on the other, Russia and the countries under her domination. Then, there is that great bulk of humanity that still does not know, because its political evolution is not sufficiently advanced, in what sphere of influence it will fall or with what group of powers it will freely associate itself. Now that renewed hope has come to Europe, the spectre of war crops up here and there to disrupt international entente. This naturally gives rise to unwholesome anxiety, to unbalanced trade relations. Such a state of things calls for caution. Since the government seems headed in the right direction, we will do our best to support its present policy. This is the price we must pay for our prosperity, our happiness. Caution is less costly than catastrophe.
Development of international trade, marketing of our farm products, appropriate measures for continued prosperity, housing assistance, educational grants, prevention of strikes, social security, health measures, these are the hallmarks of good administration. To increase social security, I would suggest to the government, if I may, that, in so far as our financial means allow, a pension plan be inaugurated

The Address-Mr. Boisvert for needy invalids. This would be looked upon favourably by the people of Canada.
Up to the present time, the government has provided for the blind, for the aged, for children; certain provinces grant pensions to needy mothers. The time has come to consider those poor unfortunates who, by accident or by birth, are crippled for life and gaze with sombre melancholy upon the happiness of others. A pension scheme designed to help them would ameliorate their plight. The kindness of the state would atone to some extent for the harshness of life.
Let us keep scientific progress in step with social progress and we shall drive away communism. Communism is the philosophy of despair. Whenever despair takes root in the soul of several individuals, there are men who are willing to change this despair into an instrument of power, provided those who despair are willing to become slaves. There are in Russia ten million forced labourers. Whereas Canada was the first nation to ratify the North Atlantic pact and whereas the Prime Minister was one of the first sponsors of this statute of liberty and security for the peoples of the earth, the communist members in the governments supporting the pact voted against it, in the name of peace. It is by avoiding v/ithin our frontiers racial and class struggles, economic chaos, that we will succeed in convincing the communists that, in the words of a French economist:
"Nothing has been found that could advantageously replace liberty as a means of ensuring to everyone the maximum amount of dignity and happiness."
He added:
"Therein lies the real solution of post-war problems, not only in France, but throughout the world."
In order that these things may come to pass, social progress must be as rapid as material advances.
The monthly bulletin of one of the larger Canadian banks contained the following statement:
In spite of all the new means of manufacturing what we need, we have not paid sufficient attention to one need in particular. We have not solved the problem which arises from the thousands of complications which the new way of life has brought into human relationships. Society has not bridged the gap between social needs and social science in the same way as we have bridged the chasm between material needs and physical sciences.
We must address ourselves to the future. We must make plans so that the needs of the future may be satisfied. For our own preservation and that of society and of the human race, we must devote all our energy to useful ends and bear in mind the social implications of our behaviour.
Canada is a democracy governed by a Liberal government. We hope that it will meet the wish of the Canadian people, who 
want to live in peace as free and happy men under enlightened laws.
The recollection we have of the King and Queen makes all Canadians appreciative of the recovery of His Majesty the King. Our prayers for the restoration of his health have been heard. Praise be to God!
I am quite conscious of not having performed in a manner commensurate with the honour that was done to me the task I accepted with too much temerity.
(Text):


Mr. Arthur Laing (Vancouver South):: Mr. Speaker, my first words in this parliament will be to express thanks and appreciation to the Prime Minister (Mr. St. Laurent) and his colleagues for having given me the distinctive honour of seconding the motion for an address in reply to the speech delivered most graciously yesterday by His Excellency the Governor General. I shall be ever mindful that this honour-and, Mr. Speaker, at the moment for me, this tremendous responsibility-is far less a tribute to myself than a tribute to the beautiful province from which I come, and to the people of my riding of Vancouver South.
It is most appropriate that, coming as I do from our most westerly province, I should take this opportunity of welcoming to the parliament of Canada the elected representatives of that great and beautiful province of Newfoundland. I do so in the hope and confidence that they will be happy here and that the province will grow and develop in the atmosphere of freedom and equality that is characteristic of the Canadian family.
This new parliament of Canada chose yesterday a Speaker to preside over its deliberations. Under our parliamentary system the Speaker is not only the first commoner, but is responsible for the preservation of the dignity of parliament as a whole. It was my privilege in the past to have known Mr. Speaker as the hon. member for Brantford City, and from the impressions then gained of his graciousness, wide understanding and deep sincerity, there was no surprise when yesterday his elevation to the# speakership was acclaimed in all parts of the house.
To the hon. member for Nicolet-Yamaska (Mr. Boisvert), who has had the senior honour of moving this address, I tender my heartiest congratulations upon his splendid presentation today, tempered and qualified by the envy that is mine at the immense facility with which he used both our great tongues. He is to be congratulated also because he and his riding became the spearhead of the Quebec campaign which resulted on June 27

in an almost unanimous endorsation in his province of the policies of this government and its leader.
It is my good fortune to be among the first in this house to express congratulations to the right hon. Prime Minister (Mr. St. Laurent) and the members of his government upon the unprecedented success of June 27. Many opinions have been given and more will be heard to explain this victory, which is unparalleled in the parliamentary history of this nation. All words will fail, as my words now will fail, to put in proper perspective the supreme position occupied by the Prime Minister, who came to the service of this country upon the tragic and untimely death of another of Canada's giants.
He served with great distinction, first as Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and later as Canada's first Secretary of State for External Affairs. In this latter position he carried Canada's stature and respect among nations to new and impressive heights. On August 7, 1948, he was called to the leadership of the Liberal party by the widest support a national leader had ever received from delegates from all parts of Canada. His record in government had been excellent and indeed the history of all the departments of government he headed has been highly acceptable to the people of Canada. But neither his departmental record nor the general attestation of his government would have availed in such a victory without the monumental characteristics of leadership which he personally displayed.
The Canadian electorate prefers character to incandescence. The Canada-wide tour of the Prime Minister was a personal victory unequalled in the history of Canada, and reminiscent Canadians are called to remember in that connection the great personal magnetism of Sir Wilfrid Laurier. I find it impossible to pay a higher tribute to my leader than to say that the pathway to this House of Commons for so many members who have come here for the first time was the solid foundation of his integrity.
When 1 refer to our Prime Minister it is easy for me to recall our leader of another day who across the years was the engineer and architect of so much of the road by which we have so safely come. His absence from this parliament will be keenly felt after a distinguished public service dating from 1908. I am of the thought that the senior members of this house will think that the house is not the same without the presence and counsel of the Right Hon. William Lyon Mackenzie King. Hon. members in all parts of the house will rejoice with me that Providence has vouchsafed to him a continuing and even improving
The Address-Mr. Laing health so that he may further benefit the people of this country by putting on permanent record details of the events and the challenges of the tempestuous days in which it was his privilege to serve.
As a British Columbian it is my great pleasure to say a word in merited praise of the minister from my province (Mr. Mayhew). His untiring efforts on behalf of his department in all the provinces of Canada, his zeal for the affairs of people as they are touched by federal policies in all parts of the country, his efficiency and deep integrity of purpose, have endeared him to our people and have greatly enhanced the standard of public service in our country.
We who come to this parliament for the first time from our most westerly province wish to pay our respects to the senior and continuing members from British Columbia who at all times have shown fidelity and diligence in the discharge of their public duties. Permit me to compliment the senior members in all parts of the house who have returned to this high office in the gift of the people. What a remarkable commentary upon personal service and what reassuring evidence of public gratitude it is when in this twenty-first parliament of Canada we can welcome one, in the person of the distinguistied hon. member for Quebec South (Mr. Power), who without interruption throughout the years has been a member since the thirteenth parliament. I note that in this parliament we have among us one who first came to the house in 1911.
I should like to express our sorrow at the death of the late Right Hon. Ian Alistair Mackenzie, who had been appointed a senator from British Columbia. We were proud of his life and accomplishments, and we deeply regret his passing. His was a distinguished public service, first in the provincial field and then in the wider sphere of federal affairs. His memorial, more enduring than bronze, is the veterans charter of Canada; his supreme eulogy the deep and abiding friendships which he made. No higher tribute can be paid to our country and to the opportunities it offers for those of ability and perseverance than the story of this Scots immigrant lad who forged to the very forefront in his people's regard.
It is the happy privilege of those who participate in this address to say a few words concerning their own provinces. Our beautiful province of British Columbia is enjoying an era of vast expansion. Industrial development and an equable climate have focused the eyes of all Canada upon our Pacific

The Address-Mr. Laing shores. Our population has more than doubled since 1931 and the increase since 1941 has been estimated at 400,000.
We have tremendous wealth in forests, mines and fisheries and all three industries, spurred both by demand for their products and by technological advances, have enjoyed great growth. Our agriculture is both unique and important in its diversification. Soft open winters in the coastal areas are ideal for dairying and the overwintering of many seed crops. In our central and northern sections, altitude and latitude combine to produce disease-free seeds of great vitality which command a ready export market as yet not fully exploited.
In the Okanagan valley particularly, where irrigation water is the farmers' gold, but also in the Kootenays, we have established a tree fruit industry and a marketing service whose products, for quality and pack, have become the standard by which all others, imported and domestic, are judged.
Our agriculture is intensive. Hon. members who come from agricultural ridings will catch the importance of my words when I remind them that we have dairy farms in the province of British Columbia where the municipal tax alone is $8 per acre, and in some places irrigation has now reached a cost of $25 per acre; but, as if to make up for these costs, our production is exceedingly high. Local production figures have been recorded in recent years, as to potatoes, of over 1,000 bushels per acre; oats, 150 bushels per acre; and apples, 1,800 bushels per acre. Our provincial government has embarked upon a program of expansion of the industrial and communication services into our hinterlands. Ours Is a province in which communication is arduous and costly. The recent announcement of the Prime Minister of his intention to recommend to parliament certain assistance in the extension of the Pacific Great Eastern Railway from Quesnel to Prince George has earned the gratitude of the people of the province of British Columbia.
Our people will rejoice that legislation is being introduced to facilitate, in co-operation with the provinces, the construction of a trans-Canada highway. Nothing so much as a broad highway connecting us will supplement those sentimental threads and economic cords that bind our provinces together.
British Columbia is a province of surpassing grandeur. Our northern park lands, our deep, rich valleys, our lakes and tumultuous waterways, our deeply indented seashores, which combine the qualities of the Mediterranean and the Norwegian fjords, are becoming the mecca of many thousands of tourists. 
Tourist visitors to the province of British Columbia from outside Canada are expected this year to exceed the total population within the province. If we had opposite us the great congested cities of New York, Philadelphia, Chicago and Detroit, it might well be that the tourist traffic in British Columbia would be our first industry.
We are beginning to see now that what we thought once was our great drawback is in reality one of our greatest assets. Ranges of snowclad mountains feed rushing waters through tortuous and narrow defiles to the sea, to give us the second greatest potential of electric energy in all the provinces of Canada. Vast established industries are looking toward us for sites where low-cost power and all-year shipping facilities provide ideal conditions for manufacturing.
Our blessings have come not unmixed. Indiscriminate development of water power could jeopardize our famous salmon industry, because the upper reaches of our rivers provide spawning grounds for the salmon which create this immense source of wealth. In this connection the superb contribution being made by the engineers and biologists under the direction of the international Pacific salmon fisheries commission should be duly noted and appreciated.
The influx of new citizens has created in all our major centres a demand for housing which, though per capita we have built more houses than any other area of Canada, still greatly outstrips the supply. The people of British Columbia will welcome the announcement that legislation is to be introduced to accelerate the building of new houses in our country.
Our windows look out upon the Pacific; we depend for our prosperity upon our export trade, and we share the concern of all Canadians, in common with the citizens of all western democracies, as to the implications of present currency difficulties. But, Mr. Speaker, we share also the pride of all Canadians in the predominant showing made by the representatives of Canada in the recent discussions concerning these problems. We also share the confidence of the people of Canada that these difficulties can and will be overcome, and we in British Columbia stand behind the policy of the government in seeking multilateral trade so that we can develop our trade in any part of the world with anyone who will trade with us.
The riding of Vancouver South comprises a narrow southern strip of the city of Vancouver running east and west, bounded on the east by the municipality of Burnaby and on the west by the Musqueam Indian reservation, inhabited still by a number of Indians

whose forebears gave Simon Fraser considerable trouble in his explorations of 1808. Vancouver South holds the distinction of being the electoral district with a larger number of home owners than any other electoral district in the Dominion of Canada. It slopes towards the sun, and intense pride of ownership is indicated by beautiful boulevards, well-kept homes, and artistic surroundings. Commendable civic foresight has provided many and large public park facilities throughout the entire area.
On the south the riding is bordered throughout its entire length by the north arm of the Fraser river. This arm of the Fraser river is a narrow and shallow stream, but it is carrying today a volume of water traffic second only to the St. Lawrence among Canada's natural waterways. Great lumber mills, plywood and sash and door factories, furniture industries, and all the activities allied with lumber, line its banks for miles.
This stream knows nothing of the majestic deep sea steamers, but it is the home of the towboat, the little work horse of the sea. New industries of all kinds are being attracted to the area, which is the most rapidly expanding section of our city. Last year more than 800 million board feet of logs and lumber came into the river, and products in excess of a value of $46 million were transported on its narrow surface.
But more interesting than the industries of Vancouver South are its people. In the older residential districts are the homes of industrialists and members of the various professions. The newer districts have seen extensive building to provide homes for merchants and those engaged in our nearby industries. We have in our riding over 8,000 voters of German ethnic origin, very few of whom came to us from their homeland. We have sturdy sons from the lands of the Croats, the Serbs and the Slovenes. We have many independent and vital people of Ukrainian origin. We have some Chinese, and we have some Hindus. All these people came to us in search of economic and political freedom, and some of them came to us in search of freedom to worship their God. In many cases they had fought, in the lands from which they came, a losing battle against tyrannies and despotisms of various kinds, and they may be depended upon to stand shoulder to shoulder with us against the encroachment of despotism here, and in the preservation of those things which eternally matter to a nation and its people. Not alone in independence, but in their culture, too, they are bringing enrichment to us.
This is the economic pattern and this the social mosaic that is Vancouver South. More than that, it is the tapestry that is Canada.
The Address-Mr. Laing Our strength is our diversity. The contributions of our people in the arts, in science, in technology and in culture are the sum total of all the pages of man's history. Our social alchemy is producing pure gold. Among all our people there is one common objective, the hope and aspiration of those who dwell on the farmsteads that slope to the St. Lawrence, of those who live in the land of Evangeline, of those hardy souls who sail forth to the Grand Banks, and of those who till our western plains. Their chief objective, indeed their one objective, is that in peace and security they may have the right to make the most of their individual lives.
Probably this world will never free itself from troubles. Twice in one generation our young nation has seen the rugged finger of sacrifice point the way, and twice Canada has answered. Old discords lie in uneasy sleep, and the far-off thunder of new discords is already heard. Our generation finds itself in the travail of working out a reasonable compromise between two opposed ideologies. The first places complete personal liberty and absolute freedom of independent action, with no restraint, as its goal for the happiness of mankind. At the other extreme are those who would concentrate all power in the state, on the assumption that if men of evil with concentrated power could bring evil upon the world, then men of good will could produce only good. Both extremes fail to heed the oft-repeated warning that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
This is the current crisis to which mankind, in its groping, has come. The contest is raising new frontiers. They are frontiers that are less and less nationalistic or of creed. They are frontiers being raised in the hearts and minds of men everywhere. Extremism has had its victories, only to find its people either in ashes or in chains. How strange it is that we should continue to debate the feasibility of a middle way. We in Canada are the middle way; and to those who conjure up in their minds dangers of sweeping political victories, let me suggest a study of Liberal faith. We have no fixed boundaries. The party to which I have the honour to belong is a social journey, not a political destination.
In our national life there are certain fundamental credentials which elevate and advance. They are the same articles of faith that create character in the individual. They direct that we shall accept our responsibilities and keep our word. Our nation's contribution to the cause of free men everywhere during two wars, and its efforts to restore mankind afterwards, make her the admiration of every other country and the envy of

The Address-Mr. Laing most. Our resources are vast; our technologies in the forests, in the mines and above all in the air, are nothing short of superb. Our people are wise, and of good heart. Their continuing fidelity will ensure success in attaining that prime objective of humanity, which is human happiness expressed in its widest interpretation.
On motion of Mr. Drew the debate was adjourned.



BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE

Louis Stephen St-Laurent: As was understood yesterday afternoon, I move that the house do now adjourn.
Motion agreed to and the house adjourned at 4.40 p.m.



APPENDIX


[Stage Direction]
Office of the Prime Minister
Ottawa, September 14, 1949.
The Honourable Leslie M. Frost, M.L.A.,
Premier of Ontario,
Toronto, Ontario.
My dear Premier:
For some time the government has been giving consideration to devising a satisfactory means of removing the necessity, on every occasion on which an amendment to the British North America Act is required, of going through the form of having the amendment made by the parliament of the United Kingdom. It does not accord with the status of Canada as a fully autonomous nation that we should be obliged to have recourse to the parliament of another country, however close our association with that country, to determine our own affairs. Moreover, it has been made increasingly clear to the government that the parliament of the United Kingdom has no desire to perpetuate the existing anomalous situation any longer than is absolutely necessary.
Before the recent election I stated on several occasions that it was the view of the government that a method should be worked out to amend our constitution in Canada, and that any such method should include the fullest safeguards of provincial rights and jurisdiction, and of the use of the two official languages and of those other rights which are the sacred trust of our national partnership.
I stated also that it was the intention of the government, after the election, to consult the provincial governments with a view to working out a method of amending the constitution in Canada, which would be satisfactory to all Canadians.
My colleagues and I recognize that the working out of a satisfactory method of making all kinds of amendments will not be easy, and the government has accordingly decided to submit to our parliament, at the forthcoming session, an address requesting an amendment of the British North America Act by the United Kingdom parliament which would vest in the parliament of Canada the authority to amend the constitution of Canada but only in relation to matters not coming within the jurisdiction of the legislatures of the provinces, nor affecting the rights and privileges of the provinces, or existing constitutional rights and privileges with respect to education and to the use of the English and French languages.
Such an amendment would give the Canadian parliament the same jurisdiction over the purely federal aspects of our constitution that the provincial legislatures already possess over the provincial constitutions, while giving both to provincial rights and jurisdiction and to the historic rights of minorities an express assurance of legal protection which we feel they should have.
We recognize that amendments may be required from time to time in the national interest of those provisions of the constitution which concern both federal and provincial authorities, and that it would be desirable to devise a generally satisfactory method of making such amendments in Canada whenever they may be required.
The federal government would appreciate the opportunity of consulting with the governments of all the provinces on this matter in the manner most convenient to the provincial governments, at an early date after the conclusion of the forthcoming session of parliament. If the provincial governments should desire, meanwhile, to have a preparatory conference of constitutional experts, we would be ready to have federal officials participate.
Our aim is to reach agreement, as soon as possible, on a method of amendment which will relieve the United Kingdom parliament of an embarrassing obligation, and establish within Canada full and final responsibility for all our national affairs.
To this end we are inviting the co-operation of your government and the governments of all the other provinces of Canada.
Yours sincerely,
Louis S. St. Laurent

[Stage Direction]
Bureau du Premier Ministre
Ottawa, le 14 septembre 1949.
L'honorable Maurice-L. Duplessis,
Premier ministre
de la province de Quebec,
Hotel du gouvernement,
Quebec, Que.
Mon cher premier ministre,
Depuis quelque temps, le gouvernement cherche a trouver un moyen satisfaisant d'eviter la formality necessaire, chaque fois qu'il est besoin d'amen-der lActe de l'Amerique du nord britannique, d'avoir a s'adresser au Parlement du Royaume-Uni. Si etroite que soit notre association & un autre pays, le fait que nous soyons obliges de recourir a son Parlement pour decider de choses qui nous concernent en tant que nation, ne Concorde pas avec notre statut de nation autonome. Du reste, il est devenu de plus en plus evident au gouveme-ment que le Parlement du Royaume-Uni ne tient pas a perpetuer plus longtemps qu'il n'est abso-lument necessaire, l'anomalie de la situation ac-tuelle.
Avant les dernieres elections, j'ai declare en maintes occasions que le gouvernement etait d'avis qu'il etait opportun d'elaborer un mode d'amender au Canada notre propre constitution et que tout procdde a cet effet devrait comporter les garanties les plus formelles pour la protection de la juridic-tion et des droits provinciaux, ainsi que de l'usage des langues officielles et des droits qui sont le depfit sacre de notre unity nationale.
J'ai aussi declare que le gouvernement avait l'intention de consulter, apres les elections, les gouvernements provinciaux afin de trouver un pro-cede acceptable a tous les Canadiens, par lequel le Canada pourrait amender sa propre constitution.
Nous reconnaissons, mes collegues et moi, qu'il ne sera pas facile de trouver un mode satisfaisant et general d'amender notre constitution; en consequence, le gouvernement a decide de soumettre a notre Parlement, 4 la prochaine session, une adresse priant le Parlement du Royaume-Uni de conferer au Parlement du Canada le droit de modifier la constitution du Canada, quant aux affaires ne rele-
[Stage Direction]
Appendix
vant pas de la competence des legislatures des provinces, et ne touchant pas aux droits et privileges constitutionnels des provinces, ni aux droits et privileges actuels en matiere d'education, ou relatifs a l'usage des langues francaise et anglaise.
Un tel amendement accorderait au Parlement ca-nadien, sur les aspects purement federaux de notre constitution, la m£me juridiction que pos-sedent di'.ja les legislatures des provinces sur la constitution provinciate, tout en donnant a la fois a la juridiction et aux droits provinciaux, ainsi qu'aux droits historiques des minoritds, l'assurance explicite d'une protection legale qui, A notre sens, devrait exister.
Nous reconnaissons qu'il est possible qu'il faille, de temps en temps, dans l'interet national, amender des clauses de la constitution qui interessent a la fois les autorites federate et provinciales, et qu'il importe de trouver un mode generalement acceptable de faire au Canada de tels amendements lorsqu'ils s'avereront necessaires.
t Le gouvernement federal serait heureux d'avoi 1'occasion de consulter, de la fagon qui leur con viendrait le mieux, les gouvernements de toute les provinces sur cette question, aussitot que pos sible apres la cloture de la prochaine session di Parlement. Si, entretemps, les gouvernements pro vinciaux trouvaient opportun la convocation d'um conference preparatoire d'experts en matiere cons titutionnelle, nous serons prets a y participer.
Notre but est d'en arriver aussitot que possibli a une entente sur le mode d'amendement qui li berera le Parlement du Royaume-Uni d'une obli gation embarrassante, et donnera au Canada pleini et entiere responsabilite sous tous les aspects di notre vie nationale.
A cette fin, nous serons heureux d'avoir la co operation de votre gouvernement et des gouver nements de toutes les autres provinces du Canada
Votre bien devoue,
Louis-S. St-Laurent
[Stage Direction]
Monday, September 19, 1949