Sir WILFRID LAURIER.
I do not think there are, except Hudson Bay people ; hut the hon. gentleman knows that the people ir Hamilton inlet are transients who come from Newfoundland, which is not a part of this Dominion.
Mr. AMES.
Does the right hon. gentleman say that there is absolutely no population in the eastern half of Athabaska ?
Sir WILFRID LAURIER.
I understand there is not. If he can show that there are people in eastern Athabaska as there are in * the northwestern part, they should be given representation. [DOT]
Mr. AMES.
According to the statistics given us, the two constituencies that are to be formed in western Athabaska do not take up the entire population of Athabaska, so that there must be some residue in eastern Athabaska. If you are to form a constituency for 300 in Peace River and another 300 in western Athabaska, when you get down to as small a number as that, does not the same reasoning apply to eastern Athabaska ? Why should this part be attached to Alberta and not to the province of Saskatchewan ?
Sir WILFRID LAURIER.
Because, according to my information, there aie no people represented in eastern Athabaska.
Mr. INGRAM.
Who represents Mackenzie and the other territories in this House ?
Sir WILFRID LAURIER.
Nobody.
Mr. INGRAM.
How do Athabaska and Peace River compare in area with Edmonton as regards representation in this House ?
Sir WILFRID LAURIER.
I could not inform my hon. friend oif-band, but I am satisfied they are two or three times the size
of the constituency of Edmonton. Does he mean the constituency of Edmonton ?
Mr. INGRAM.
Yes, for Dominion purposes.
Sir WILFRID LAURIER.
There is no constituency of Edmonton, except the city of Edmonton.
Mr. INGRAM.
I am speaking of the constituency of Edmonton for Dominion purposes.
Sir WILFRID LAURIER.
My hon. friend from the west will be able to answer that better than I could.
Ml-. M. S. McCarthy. In regard to your estimate of post offices a considerable portion of the constituencies of Edmonton, Strathcona and Calgary is east of the 4th meridian. Are the post offices east of the 4th meridian included in your calculations ? I understand you mean the electoral districts as they are constituted in this House.
Mr. P. TALBOT.
No. I think that calculation was made on the basis of the proposed province of Alberta. The district of Alberta that is represented by my hon. friend (Mr. Herron) contains 40 post offices, Medicine Hat district which is to be milled to Alberta, 10, and the Calgary district, 54.
McCarthy. What do you call the Calgary district ?
Mr. P. TALBOT.
The district represented by you.
McCarthy. Calgary, Strathcona and Edmonton district are east of the 4th meridian.
Mr. P. TALBOT.
These are only in the proposed province. Edmonton district contains 00 and the Strathcona district contains 95. Then, there are some 15 m the constituency of Strathcona that are south of Red Deer and will consequently have to he added to the south.
May I ask the right hon. gentleman how the figures which be has read to us to-day are made up ? Are they made up by any department which is responsible for them ?
Sir WILFRID LAURIER.
The figures I gave in regard to the votes recorded and in regard to the votes polled I got from the Clerk of the Crown in Chancery. The figures in regard to the population are taken From the census of 1901. The other figures which I gave about the grain grown and the post offices were given to me by my hon. friend from Strathcona (Mr. Talbot).