Hon. ERNEST LAPOINTE (Minister of Justice) moved, that the House go into committee at the next sitting to consider the following proposed resolution: That it is expedient to amend the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Act by providing that pensions to officers, their widows, and constables, granted prior to the seventh day of July, one thousand nine hundred and nineteen, may be readjusted in accordance with the rates of pay for officers and constables provided by the said Act as amended prior to and on the seventh day of July, one thousand nine hundred and nineteen, but no such readjustment shall authorize the increase of any payments for pensions that accrued before the passing of the proposed legislation. He said: His Excellency the Governor General, having been made acquainted with the subject matter of this resolution, recommends it to the favourable consideration of the House. Motion agreed to.
On the Orders of the Day:
I notice from the newspapers that there seems to be some little altercation in connection with some of the activities of the Auditor General and that he has made a reply which has not been made public. I wonder if the Acting Minister of Finance would table the reply of the Auditor General?
Hon. J. A. ROBB (Acting Minister of Finance) :
As the Auditor General is the servant of parliament, I have no objection to tabling a copy of the letter that I addressed to him and a copy of his reply.
On the Orders of the Day:
Hon. R. J. MANION (Fort William and Rainy River):
Would the Minister of
Soldiers' Civil Re-establishment be good enough to table the trust deed, or charter, or whatever it was, dealing with the trust fund that we were discussing yesterday, so that we might have an opportunity of studying it while we are waiting for his estimates to come up again?
Hon. H. S. BELAND (Minister of Soldiers' Civil Re-establishment):
It was my intention to proceed with the resolution to-day, but Mr. Scammell is going tc Montreal to
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Questions Unanswered
attend a meeting in connection with the Last Post fund, and he intimated that he would not have time to prepare a complete memorandum on the subject. As soon as the memorandum is ready, I shall move the House into committee on the resolution.
Mr. MANION:
Might I suggest to the minister that it would be more convenient if we could have, not necessarily the memorandum, but the trust deed itself, or at least a copy of it, tabled, so that we might see it in advance. Because of absence of documents we often argue in this House on questions that we have not had time to consider properly. Perhaps the minister could lay this trust deed on the table a couple of days in advance.
Mr. BELAND:
I would be glad to do that, but I am informed by Mr. Scammell that there is no deed of trust.
Right Hon. ARTHUR MEIGHEN (Leader of the Opposition):
No man is giving $100,000 without saying what it is for. Undoubtedly, there may be no deed of trust in the ordinary sense, but there will be something from the man who gave the money stating what the money is to be used for. There is no excuse for that not being ready now. Something of that kind must be in existence.
Mr. BELAND:
Why should my right hon. friend not accept my word conveying to him the information I received from Mr. Scammell? Mr. Scammell says that there is no such thing as a deed of trust; that after consultation with the principal donator, he was left entirely at liberty to dispose of the fund as he judged best in the interest of the returned men. That is the information I have. But I asked Mr. Scammell to prepare a full memorandum on this subject for me to present to the House, and until I have that, T do not wish to discuss the question any further.
Mr. MEIGHEN:
I do not want to be in a position of leaving the minister free to state that I disputed the fact that there was any deed of trust. I did not. I did not anticipate there would1 be a deed of trust in the form suggested. What I did anticipate, and what I cannot help thinking must be the fact, is that there is something in the nature of a letter or other written document or correspondence which sets out the purpose.
Mr. ARTHURS:
Which was quoted in
the order in council.
'Mr. Beland.]
Mr. BELAND:
I beg pardon, I never
quoted that.
Mr. ARTHURS:
There is a quotation
in the order in council reciting the deed of gift.
Mr. BELAND:
I submit there is no such
quotation.
Mr. ARTHURS:
When will the memorandum be ready?