Mr. MACKENZIE KING:

A blank

cheque.

Mr. MACKENZIE (Vancouver):

Surely

unemployment insurance should be considered as unemployment relief.

Mr. HEENAN:

There seems to be a lot of talk about banking, insurance, land settlement and everything else, but when we discuss unemployment insurance, old age pensions or anything of a social character we are immediately called to order.

The CHAIRMAN:

That is probably the

hon. gentleman's own fault.

Mr. HEENAN:

I would say it was rather the fault of those in the chair.

The CHAIRMAN:

The hon. member is

now entirely out of order.

Mr. HEENAN:

As far as I am concerned, if I am ruled out of order I am prepared to appeal against the ruling of the chair. I think the government and the Minister of Labour particularly owe it to this committee, and especially to those who have been directly interested in the establishment of an unemployment insurance scheme, to tell what took place at the dominion-provincial conference. We should know whether or not a serious attempt was made to establish an unemployment insurance scheme. If there were no obstacles in the way of this scheme, why have we not an unemployment insurance bill before us at the present time?

The CHAIRMAN:

The resolution reads:

Resolved, that it is expedient to introduce a measure to continue in force the provisions of the Relief Act, 1932, until the 31st of March, 1934.

This discussion does not relate to the resolution.

Mr. MACKENZIE KING:

The Relief Act takes in everything.

The CHAIRMAN:

It does not take in

insurance.

{The Chairman.]

Mr. MACKENZIE KING:

The Relief

Act gives to the government a blank cheque and the power to do anything it pleases to relieve unemployment.

The CHAIRMAN:

Surely the right hon.

leader of the opposition will not say that insurance is relief.

Mr. MACKENZIE KING:

It would mean

the paying out of less money for relief purposes, and therefore it comes within the four corners of this resolution.

The CHAIRMAN:

What the right hon.

gentleman has just said justifies me in my ruling.

Mr. MACKENZIE KING:

This afternoon we were told of innumerable purposes to which this money might be devoted. It is a blank cheque; the governor in council has unlimited authority to enact any measure to help to relieve any future situation. As a matter of fact the government, if it so desired, could establish an unemployment insurance scheme under this very legislation.

The CHAIRMAN:

It is not covered by the Relief Act.

Mr. LAPOINTE:

Peace, order and good government.

Mr. MACKENZIE (Vancouver):

There is an amendment and an amendment to the amendment.

Mr. HEENAN:

The dominion-provincial conference was called for the purpose of considering unemployment relief measures and unemployment insurance was to be discussed at that conference. We are entitled to know what decision was come to with respect to unemployment relief. The Prime Minister aroused the hopes of the workers on April 29 when he said that this matter would be crystallized into legislation before the end of the life of this government.

While the minister is thinking about giving us an answer I should like to deal with the back to the land movement. This is not the first effort that has been made to get people back to the land, even in Ontario. I hope the minister has better luck with his scheme than Hon. Howard Ferguson had with the one he attempted when he was Minister of Lands and Forests of Ontario. A colony was established in 1917 east of the Kapuskasing river and a sincere effort was made to place people back on the land. The Ontario government gave a great deal of consideration to

Questions

this matter but the scheme which was started in 1917 had to be abandoned in 1920. Mr. Ferguson was very careful in selecting a site on the Kapuskasing river and the soil on the site selected was considered to be of the best quality. The beauty of the landscape wa3 even taken into consideration, and the Dominion government finally leased some land on the other side of the river.

Progress reported.