Mr. SPEAKER:
I have the honour to inform the House that the Clerk of the House has received from the Clerk of the Crown in Chancery a certificate of the election and return of Hon. Joseph Pierre Albert Sevigny, for the electoral district of Dorchester.
Mr. SPEAKER:
I have also the honour to inform the House that I have received a notification of a vacancy having occurred in the representation of the electoral district of Terrebonne by the death of Gedeon Rochon, Esquire, member for the said electoral district. I accordingly issued my warrant to the Clerk of the Crown in Chancery to make out a new writ of election for the said electoral district.
Hon. Joseph Pierre Albert Sevigny, member-elect for the electoral district of Dorchester, introduced by Rt. Hon. Sir George Foster and Hon. E. L. Patenaude.
Bill No. 38, respecting certain patents of George C. Breidert and Burton W. Mudge- Mr. Macdonald. Bill No. 39, respecting The Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo Railway Company- Mr. T. J. Stewart.
Report of Militia Council for the year ended March 31, 1916.-Sir Edward Kemp. Report of the Board of Visitors, Royal Military College, Kingston, for the year 1916.-Sir Edward Kemp. General orders promulgated to the Militia by the Minister of Militia and Defence in Militia Council, between December 30, 1915, and February 8, 1917.-Sir Edward Kemp. Summary report of the Mines Branch of the Department of Mines for the year ended December 31, 1915.-Hon. Mr. Patenaude. Eighth Annual Report of the Civil Service Commission of Canada for the year ended August 31, 1916.-Hon. Mr. Patenaude. Annual report of the Department of Railways and Canals for the fiscal year ended March 31, 1916.-Hon. Mr. Cochrane. Twelfth Annual Report of the Commissioners of the Transcontinental Railway for the fiscal year ended March 31, 1916.-Hon. Mr. Cochrane. Telegraph statistics of the Dominion of Canada for the year ended June 30, 1916.- Hon. Mr. Cochrane. Telephone statistics of the Dominion of Canada for the year ended June 30, 1916.- Hon. Mr. Cochrane. Report of the Royal North West Mounted Police.-Sir George Foster. Report of the Department of Trade and Commerce for the fiscal year ended March 31, 1916-Parts 1 and 3.-Sir George Foster. Auditor General's Report for the fiscal year ended March 31, 1916, volumes 1, 2, 3 and 4.-Sir Thomas White.
Hon. FRANK COCHRANE moved:
That the resolution adopted by the House on the 7th February, 1917, referring to Bill No. 13, an Act to consolidate and amend the Railway Act, to a special committee (of twenty-six) members, be amended by adding thereto:
1. That Rule 11 be suspended in connection therewith;
2. That the quorum of the said Committee be of nine members ;
3. That the said Committee be empowered to send for persons, papers and records, and to report from time to time; and have leave to sit while the House is in session; and also be authorized to have their proceedings and such evidence as may be taken, printed from day to day for the use of the Committee, and that Rule 74 be suspended in reference thereto; and
4. That the name "Kamouraska" be inserted immediately after the name "Lapointe".
Mr. GRAHAM:
I am told that this is not really a consolidation of the Railway Act, hut that it contains much new and important matter. I understand that the committee has not yet had a quorum and
has not made the recommepd-ation embodied in the resolution. Would it not be wiser and more in accordance with the rules of the House for the minister ito call his committee together and have it recommend that this resolution be submitted to the House?
Mr. COCHRANE-: It was an oversight
that this was not done when, the committee was moved. The committee is called to meet to-morrow morning and it would help things along if this motion were allowed to pass.
Mr. PUGSLEY:
I would not suppose
that much progress could be made by proceeding as suggested by the minister, because the ordinary notice of motion would have to be given before the rule could be suspended. I should like to -make an inquiry as to a point raised by the hon. member for East Lamtoton (Mr. Armstrong), who was informally named as chairman in the absence of a quorum. He took the point that the appointment of the committee might be irregular, the rule providing that no committee of the House should consist of more than fifteen members unless toy special leave of the House. I understood that the matter was to be looked into by the hon. Minister of Customs or by the -hon. Minister of Railways. Has any decision been arrived at as to that point?
Mr. REID:
I have not gone into the matter. I do not think that I agreed to- look into it any more than any other member of the committee. I thought that perhaps the hon. member (Mr. Pugsley), knowing the rules of the House much better than I, would look into the matter and be able to say whether there was any irregularity. Personally, I do- not agree with the interpretation of the rules by the hon. member for East Lamtoton.
Mr. GRAHAM:
There is another point.
This committee is to consist of a joint committee of both Houses. .
Mr. COCHRANE:
No.
Mr. GRAHAM:
I understood so.
Mr. REID:
That was last year.