House of Commons debates
Friday, March 13, 1936
Mr. CAMERON R. McINTOSH (North Battlefordi): Mr. Speaker, the standing committee on industrial and international relations begs leave to present the following as its first report: Your committee recommends that 500 copies in English and 200 copies in French of the minutes of the proceedings and of the evidence to be taken before it, together with papers and records to be incorporated with such evidence, be printed from day to day; and that standing order 64 be suspended in relation thereto.
Mr. SPEAKER:
I would direct the hon. gentleman's attention to the fact that according to a rule of the house this is a resolution requiring forty-eight hours' notice except with the unanimous consent of the house.
Mr. McINTOSH:
This is not a resolution, Mr. Speaker; it is the first report of the committee.
Mr. SPEAKER:
It has the same force and effect.
Mr. W. G. WEIR (Macdonald):
With the leave of the house I beg to move, seconded by the hon. member for Lake Centre (Mr. Johnston) :
That the recommendations contained in the first report of the standing committee on agriculture and colonization, submitted to the house on Thursday, March 12, be now concurred in.
Hon. CHARLES A. DUNNING (Minister of Finance): I rise not for the purpose of objecting to the motion but to call attention to the fact that with regard to matters of expenditure by committees of this house such committees are virtually a law unto themselves once having been authorized by the house to send for persons, papers and so forth and to engage technical and other assistance. I believe I am correct in saying that the certi-12739-68
fication of a chairman of a committee with respect to expenditure is all that is required to enable that expenditure to be made. Because of the number of our committees and the number of references that have been made I hope I may be pardoned for calling the attention of all chairmen of committees to their responsibility in this regard in the interests of economy.
Mr. SPEAKER:
Is it the pleasure of the house to adopt the motion?
Right Hon. R. B. BENNETT (Leader of the Opposition):
With respect to one phase of the matter I would like to supplement what has been said by the Minister of Finance (Mr. Dunning). This committee asks for power to pay auditors and such experts as may be considered necessary. From the bills that were presented to this house by auditors and experts on other occasions, speaking from experience I should say that before any commitment is made by any committee of the house the Minister of Finance should be consulted and his approval should be obtained. That is my conviction with respect to a matter of this kind.
Hon. C. G. POWER (Minister of Pensions and National Health):
If I may be permitted to say so, it is within my recollection that during the course of the proceedings of one committee, that dealing with pensions in 1930, it was considered necessary to submit to the house any recommendations of the committee with regard to engaging counsel, before such engagements could be made.
Mr. POULIOT:
Calling witnesses is less expensive than a royal commission.
Mr. McINTOSH:
By leave of the house I would move, seconded by the hon. member for Comox-Alberni (Mr. Neill), that the first report of the select standing committee on industrial and international relations, presented to the house this day, be concurred in.
Motion agreed to.
Mr. BENNETT:
The previous motion is not declared carried yet.
Pensions and Soldiers' Problems
Mr. SPEAKER:
That is the one to which I drew the attention of the house a few moments ago. I thought it required forty-eight hours' notice.
Mr. BENNETT:
Perhaps my intervention caused Your Honour to overlook the fact that the motion of the chairman of the committee on agriculture and colonization was not put.
Mr. SPEAKER:
It was put. I will put it again.