Oh, oh.

Mr. STEWART (Edmonton):

He laughs best who laughs last. I did not rise to criticize the administration of the relief camps. I believe they are well administered, but I do say that it is a sorry spectacle for the government of Canada that the relief camps should have to be established at all, and it is not an answer to say, as has been said on former occasions, that it is the result of world conditions, because hon. gentlemen sitting opposite over there are the ones who promised the electors of Canada that if they were put into office they would cure unemployment-and this is the way you have cured it. Are you proud of it?

Mr. BENNETT:

Certainly.

Mr. STEWART (Edmonton):

Proud of the situation that exists to-day? Proud of the number of unemployed? Proud of the steps you have taken to deal inadequately with the situation? Then if you are, you are much more case hardened than I thought you were.

Mr. MACKENZIE (Vancouver):

Give us the promises that were made.

Mr. STEWART (Edmonton):

In Halifax, the right hon. gentleman who now leads this government made a speech on July 4, 1930, in which he said:

If the Conservative party comes into power on July 28th I propose at the earliest moment to call parliament together so that we may find speedy remedy for this situation and decide on means to provide work for Canadians. Work I said, not doles.

Supply-Dejence-Relief Camps

That is plain enough, isn't it? And yet we have in the neighbourhood of one million people-or that was the number-a very large proportion of whom are on doles and nothing else. And this government is not doing what it promised to do, to take care of the situation as a great national emergency, because it is paying only thirty per cent of the dole.

Then at Moncton the leader of the Conservative party said:

The Conservative party is going to find work for all who are willing to work, or perish in the attempt. It is going to call parliament at the earliest possible date after July 28, and take such steps as will end this tragic condition of unemployment and bring prosperity to the country as a whole. . . . Mr. King promises consideration of the problems of unemployment. I promise to end unemployment. Which plan do you like best?

I have not heard anyone from Moncton or thereabouts get up to-night and speak of the wonderful way in which that promise has been carried out.

Again, speaking at Ottawa, the right hon. gentleman said:

Mr. King promises you conferences; I promise action.

Is there any government that has outdone this government in calling conferences during the past three years? And what have been the results of them all?

Mr. MANION:

Your leader has been

complaining that we did not call enough conferences.

Mr. STEWART (Edmonton):

What has been the result of it all? Absolutely nothing. We have a wheat agreement by which we reduce our production by over one million bushels. That is the result of one of the conferences.

Then, speaking at Renfrew, the right hon. gentleman said-and I am sorry that the hon. member for Renfrew is not now in his seat, because he must have been present at this meeting, otherwise it could not have taken place:

I will enact such tariff measures to give Canadians an even chance, or perish in the attempt.

This was a real perishing government before they got into office. He went on:

At the same time we will protect labour as well as consumers. There will be no exploitation.

We now have the Stevens committee sitting day after day and discovering how labour has been exploited under the very nose of this government.

Mr. CAiSGRAIN: The higher the tariff, the lower the wage.

Mr. STEWART (Edmonton):

I do not know what steps may be taken to prevent labour from being exploited, but that is what is being found out in another room in this building. Such a thing should make every Canadian blush with shame, but all this was going to be prevented by this government. These are the promises by virtue of which hon. members opposite sit in the seats of the mighty.

Give us some more

of them.

Mr. STEWART (Edmonton):

There are

too many, and I do not want to clutter up Hansard. Then they wonder why criticism is offered when we have before us estimates to provide relief camps. I marvel at the nerve of the government, and I wonder how they are able to face the people after making such spacious promises. I repeat that it is no use saying to hon. members on this side and to the public generally that it was world conditions that brought all this about. They knew about world conditions in 1030, but they stated that it was the fault of the government of that day that there were 117,000 unemployed in Canada.

Mr. GEARY:

Mr. Chairman, what is the

number of this vote? I have lost my place.

Mr. STEWART (Edmonton):

Perhaps the hon. member will find his place some day. I do not wonder he has lost it, and I am afraid he will lose it a good many times if he attempts to follow the intricacies of this government. We are discussing unemployment and relief camps. Does my hon. friend realize that we are talking about relief and the cure of unemployment?

Mr. CASGRAIN:

Twenty cents a day.

Mr. GEARY:

I was just wondering.

Mr. STEWART (Edmonton):

I have no

particular fault to find with the twenty cents a day, but I say without fear of contradiction that these conditions have been brought about by the policies of this government. If this government said in 1030 that world conditions had nothing to do with the situation then existing, how can they argue to-day that world conditions are causing the unpleasant situation we have in this country? They cannot swallow themselves; that is impossible, although they will try to do it.

Mr. LAPOINTE:

They blow and swallow at the same time.

Supply-Defence-Relief Camps

Mr. STEWART (Edmonton):

They do not like this sort of thing. I know it does not go down with them. The hon. member for Winnipeg South Centre (Mr. Kennedy) was very laudatory in his statement about these camps. He told us how splendidly they were 'being conducted. With all of that we agree, as we know that anything undertaken by the Department of National Defence will be well done. But I say again, is it not a sorry spectacle that Canada, having such great undeveloped natural resources, should have to operate unemployment camps in order that men may obtain sustenance and a reasonable amount of clothing? Is it not a sorry spectacle that this is what has to be done under the policies of hon. gentlemen opposite?

Mr. ROBINSON:

What will happen under the policies of the Liberal government?

Mr. STEWART (Edmonton):

When the

Liberal government come into office their policies will be enunciated. May I say to my hon. friend that he was in a very happy and comfortable position under Liberal policies. We did not have any relief camps and we had mighty little unemployment. ,