Hon. H. A. BRUCE (Parkdale):

I should like to direct a question to the Minister of Justice (Mr. Lapointe) based upon an editorial prominently displayed on the front page of the weekly journal Le Jour, in its issue of June 29. Le Jour is edited by Jean Charles Harvey, probably the most widely known of French Canadian journalists and a man who is universally respected. To save time I shall give only the English translation:

Sunday evening the German radio, in a shortwave broadcast directed especially to French Canada, informed Quebec that Hitler offered it full and complete independence. We have only to rebel against Great Britain, and then we shall have our Laurentia. There will be a customs union with nazi Europe; and it was announced that our first gauleiter would be Adrien Arcand. .

This is a damning charge against this man, and if we had blood in our veins instead of turnip juice our little fuehrer would not be facing such legal procedure as he is at the moment; he would be up before a military court. .

Has he not time and again talked of standing so and so against a wall, when he became dictator? The writer of these lines, for one, has no illusions about the fate that would await him if the suave Adrien succeeded in a blitzkrieg here.

I should like to ask the Minister of Justice four questions, of which I have given him notice. First, has he seen the editorial minted?

95826-79}

Passports and Visas

Second, has he made inquiries with regard to the alleged broadcast and has he any information to give the house in connection therewith? Third, has he information that Adrien Arcand has made threats to shoot French-Canadian leaders loyal to the British connection if his plans to become fuehrer under the auspices of Hitler succeeded? Fourth, in view of the close connection between Arcand and the Hitler regime, as revealed by this broadcast, does the minister deem the measures taken to place Arcand under restraint to be adequate?

Right Hon. ERNEST LAPOINTE (Minister of Justice):

I am sorry my hon. friend's notice of these questions came to me only as I was coming to the chamber. I have not read the editorial, nor have I heard of this broadcast. Of course I am going to investigate, but I may say that I have heard of the threats made by the gentleman mentioned, because I was the principal person who was threatened all the time. Perhaps it may suffice to add that the internment of Arcand and the others associated with him does not mean that this is the only penalty they are *going to incur. They are interned in order that we may know that they are safely in custody, that they cannot get out on bail or because of any technicality. They are being held to await any further proceedings or prosecutions to which they may be liable -under the criminal code or any other statute, find I can assure my hon. friend that the matter is being fully considered at this time.

Mr. ANGUS MacINNIS (Vancouver East):

Mr. Speaker, I should like to direct a question to the Prime Minister (Mr. Mackenzie King). British Columbia papers arriving in Ottawa this past week-end, and letters from persons intending to visit the United States, indicate that there is fear of considerable delay in the obtaining of passports. Could the Prime Minister make a statement as to what arrangements are being made to facilitate the issuing of passports, and to obviate undue delays?

Right Hon. W. L. MACKENZIE KING (Prime Minister):

Mr. Speaker, two or three questions have been asked with respect to passports, and I have in my hand answers to most of them, including the one just asked by the hon. member for Vancouver East (Mr. Maclnnis).

On June 26 the hon. member for Kootenay "West (Mr. Esling) inquired as ito what steps

fMr. Bruce.]

might be taken to facilitate the issue of passport visas in south-eastern British Columbia. I am glad to be able to inform the hon. member that the United States authorities have decided to establish a consular representative at Trail, to facilitate the granting of visas to residents of Eastern British Columbia.

The hon. member for Yukon (Mr. Black) asked concerning the issue of passport visas to persons wishing to travel by boat from the Yukon to other parts of Canada. In reply I would say that unfortunately the situation in the Yukon is somewhat different from that prevailing in other parts of Canada. The situation has been brought to the attention of United States authorities. All I can say at the moment is that we hope a ruling may shortly be obtained which will facilitate the moving of passengers from the Yukon to British Columbia.

In reply to the question of the hon. member for Vancouver East, a question which might be extended to apply to other localities, I would say that the problem of opening additional passport offices has been very much under consideration. A branch office was opened at Windsor on June 29 under the sharge of the assistant passport officer. There is every desire to meet the convenience of the public, but it will be recalled that the final decision on the part of the United States authorities to impose passport and visa requirements was not communicated to us until a fortnight ago. It is essential, in order to avoid fraud and mistakes, that the work of issuing passports be under the supervision of an experienced staff.

It might be pointed out that with air mail, an application mailed from Vancouver, for example, to-day, will be in the passport office in Ottawa to-morrow. The question of the feasibility and desirability of establishing additional temporary branch offices has been receiving consideration, and I hope shortly to be in a position to announce a definite decision. I am afraid that to-day I cannot go farther than that.

Mr. HOMUTH:

Would it be convenient to open passport offices in each provincial capital? I suggest that because the work here is going to be tremendously heavy.

Mr. MACKENZIE KING:

I shall be glad to discuss that matter with the officials of the passport office.

Hon. R. B. HANSON (Leader of the Opposition):

There is a situation at the border between New Brunswick and Maine which requires immediate attention. Two thousand persons in the towns of St. Stephen and Milltown, New Brunswick, are clamouring

National Defence

for passports, and there is not even an application form in that part of the country. I had about five hundred application forms sent down by express, but even then it will be some days before those passports are issued. I have made an appeal to the passport officer and to the Prime Minister's office to send a special officer to that point. I realize it is necessary to have an experienced officer, but surely there must be some such person who could be sent down to that point, where, as I have said, two thousand persons are being held up in their daily intercourse with the neighbouring towns ' of Calais and Milltown, Maine. Action is imperative, and while I do not wish to bother the minister about it I have called the matter to the attention of his department. I hope he will have something done at that point.

Mr. MACKENZIE KING:

I saw the hon. member's letter, and I know the Under-Secretary of State for External Affairs is making every effort to meet the request made therein. Of course questions in connection with the issue of passports are coming to us from every side. They are reaching us from one end of the continent to the other, and it has been very difficult to get the necessary forms and general equipment in readiness as rapidly as we might have wished.