Bill No. 169 for the relief of Cecilia Agnes Thomasson Lukis.-Mr. Green. Bill No. 170 for the relief of Burton Mat-tin.-Mr. Hocken. Bill No. 171 for the relief of Annie Elizabeth Augusta Warke.-Mr. Fripp. Bill No. 172 for the relief of Margaret Flora Burrows.-Mr. Wallace. Bill No. 173 for the relief of Blanche Gray Law.-Mr. Fripp.
On the Orders of the Day:
Mr. JACQUES BUREAU (Three Rivers):
May I ask the Prime Minister whether it is the intention of the Government to have any official celebration of the signing of peace?
Sir ROBERT BORDEN (Prime Minister):
Only one treaty of peace has been signed so far. The signing of the treaty does not bring about peace; that can only be accomplished by royal proclamation issued after the treaty has been ratified. Under the terms of the Treaty of Peace, the proclamation cannot be issued until three of the Allied powers have concurred in its ratification. It is thought by the Government that the most appropriate time for the celebration of peace will be when peace has been proclaimed by His Majesty.
Mr. BUREAU:
Is it the intention, then, when peace is proclaimed to have a Dominion celebration?
Sir ROBERT BORDEN:
There will be eventually a proclamation of peace.
Mr. BUREAU:
My hon. friend did not tell me whether or not there would be a Dominion celebration at that time.
Sir ROBERT BORDEN:
Oh, yes; so far as I am aware, it is understood that there will be a celebration. I cannot speak for the United Kingdom or for the other Dominions, but I think we should celebrate the proclamation of peace when it is issued.
On the Orders of the Day:
Mr. D. D. MACKENZIE (Cape Breton North):
I wish to bring to the notice of the Minister of Militia a matter about which I have received communications from different parts of the country. He need not answer me now, unless he thinks proper, as I had no opportunity of giving him notice that I was going to take this matter up this morning. The communications I have received complain about the eternal worrying of people in every town and village by police constables in regard to so-called defaulters. Now that we have peace practically signed, when are we going to have peace among ourselves, and when are those fellows to be called off or some effective action taken to put an end to this eternal worrying of our people?
Major-General MEWBURN (Minister of Militia and Defence): So far as the Department of Militia is concerned, we have no police constables taking action against defaulters. I do not wish " to pass the buck," but I am afraid I will have to ask the Acting Minister of Justice to deal with my hon. friend's question.
Mr. McKENZIE:
I would like to ask the Minister of Militia to assign my question to the Acting Minister of Justice.
Hon. ARTHUR MEIGHEN (Acting Minister of Justice):
The hon. member will observe that there is a Bill on the Order Paper dealing with the question of the cessation of all prosecutions for offences under the Military Service Act. I may say that so far as I am informed, no other belligerent country has yet determined to no longer prosecute military defaulters, and doubtless Canada will be prepared to act as soon as any other country.
Sir SAM HUGHES:
Why should Canada bother about any other country? Might I ask, why are not all defaulters put in one class and one Bill passed fixing the penalties, to put the matter on a definite basis?
Mr. SPEAKER:
Order. This discussion
is obviously out of order. The so-called question is not even in order, but I felt that considerable latitude ought to be permitted inasmuch as we are approaching the end of the session and the information asked for could not be obtained in the ordinary way. But iiY no case should such a matter be turned into a discussion or debate.
Sir SAM HUGHES:
Mr. Speaker, I desire to ask the minister, is it the intention of the Government to introduce a Bill to cover all these cases and get rid of them once for all, as the leader of the Opposition has pointed out?
Hon. ARTHUR MEIGHEN:
No Bill has been determined on at all except the Bill on the Order Paper.