Mr. FRED ROSE (Cartier):

Mr. Speaker, I rise to a question of privilege. For a month or or more I have been waiting patiently to be assigned a room in this building. I did not want to bring up this matter in this house, believing that there were many more important matters which should be dealt with but I

778 COMMONS

House of Commons-Room Accommodation

have pleaded with you, Mr. Speaker, and with the Clerk of the House without being able to get any satisfaction. I have had the job of mailing out my speeches; I keep my mail in a box somewhere in one of the rooms, but I have no proper accommodation, and I feel that the time has come when I must speak up, since apparently there is no other way of getting satisfaction. We talk about complacency. I have found a great deal of it, with people unwilling to move their desks in order to make it possible for another hon. member to do his duty to his electors, and I am afraid that reflects another sort of complacency among many hon. members here. As I say, I have waited patiently, but now I bring this matter to the attention of the house in the hope that I may get satisfaction. I do not believe it should have been necessary to mention it in this house; the matter should have been attended to the day I arrived here, and I should not have had to wait four weeks without result.

Mr. SPEAKER:

The hon. member has a grievance which I think he has a right to express. I would point out to the hon. gentleman and to the house that I have been endeavouring to see that a room was provided for the hon. member, which would mean that changes would have to be made in the rooms at present occupied by other hon. members of the house. I have met with very little cooperation on the part of hon. members when these necessary alterations were suggested, but now that the hon. gentleman has placed the matter before the house I may state that I shall have to exercise the authority resting with the Speaker of the house, and I expect to receive cooperation from hon. members. There may be some inconvenience, but the hon. gentleman is entitled to the use of a room, and he must get it.

Mr. HANSON (York-Sunbury):

Is this urgent? This report was presented only

to-day, and concurrence cannot be moved without consent.

Mr. MACMILLAN:

There is some urgency, because we desire to reduce the number necessary for a quorum. It will make it much easier to get a quorum. If the hon. member

objects, we can let it stand.

Motion stands.

Hon. J. L. ILSLEY (Minister of Finance):

Mr. Speaker, I would like to make an announcement which I think will be of interest to hon. members.

In conformity with the government's announced policy of promoting employee representation in private industry and the improvement of industrial relations generally, the treasury board has decided to provide for the setting up of an employer-employee council in the public service of Canada. In working out this policy the treasury board will accept as its general model, with the necessary adaptations to suit Canadian conditions, the pattern which has been evolved in the L'nited Kingdom through the application of so-called Whitley councils to the British public service. The board is therefore providing immediately for the establishment of a national joint council of the public service of Canada equally representative of the official and staff sides of the public service, but, as it is desirable that the new organization and procedure should evolve as a result of consultation and general discussion rather than being imposed from above in any cut and dried fashion, we are immediately suggesting a tentative constitution of the new joint council and wish to have the council itself give the fullest consideration to all questions relating to its permanent organization and procedure and to make recommendations for a permanent constitution to the treasury board within a specified period.

Initially, the national joint council is to consist of six representatives of the official or employer side of the public service, and six representatives of the staff or employee side. The Civil Service Federation, the Civil Service Association, the Amalgamated Civil Servants, the Professional Institute, and the Dominion Customs and Excise Officers' Association are each being asked to name one representative to the council, and the three organizations which represent the postal employees are being asked to select one representative to

Public Service-Council

represent them. The treasury board will itself nominate six senior civil servants to act as the representatives of the government, included amongst whom will be a representative of the Civil Service Commission.

The national joint council will act in an advisory capacity to the treasury board in all matters affecting the conditions of work in the public service. In certain fields their recommendations may appropriately be made directly to the Civil Service Commission. The council will, of course, not have any executive powers which would impair the responsibility of the cabinet or treasury board or Civil Service Commission, or possibly infringe upon the authority of parliament. While the council's functions will therefore be advisory only, it is clear that if both sides take their responsibilities seriously and endeavour to make the new organization a means of promoting better understanding, improved morale and greater efficiency in the civil service, any recommendations of the council reached by agreement should carry great weight with the treasury board and the Civil Service Commission.

The general purpose of the national joint council will be to secure a greater measure of cooperation between the state in its capacity of employer and the general body of civil servants in matters affecting the civil service, with a view to increased efficiency in the public service combined with the well-being of those employed; to provide machinery for dealing with grievances and for making suggestions for improved efficiency; and generally to bring together the experience and different points of view of representatives of the administrative, clerical and manipulative sides of the civil service.

More specifically, the duties of the national council will be:

(a) to recommend to the treasury board the best means for securing to the staff a greater share in and greater responsibility for the determination and observance of the conditions under which their duties are carried out, and in particular to consider and report to the treasury board not later than June 30, 1944, on a permanent constitution for the national joint council of the public service of Canada, on the advisability of providing for the establishment of various departmental or district joint councils, and, if such are recommended, on the organization and procedure of such joint councils and their relationship to the national joint council;

(b) to make recommendations to the treasury board or the Civil Service Commission, as the case may require, regarding the

100-50J ,

general principles governing conditions of service in the public service of Canada, including recruitment, training, hours of work, promotions, discipline, tenure, remuneration and superannuation;

(c) to recommend to the treasury board or the Civil Service Commission, or both, the best means for utilizing the ideas and experience of the staff;

(d) to make recommendations to the Civil Service Commission regarding the encouragement of the further education of civil servants and their training in higher administration and organization;

(e) to make recommendations to the treasury board or the Civil Service Commission, or both, regarding the improvement of office procedures and organization and the provision of opportunities for the full consideration of suggestions by the staff on this subject; and

(f) to make recommendations to the treasury board regarding proposed legislation in so far as it has a bearing upon the position of civil servants in relation to their employment.

In the tentative constitution which is being provided for the national joint council, provision is being made for the holding of regular and special meetings, for the appointment of a chairman (who shall be a representative of the treasury board) and a vice-chairman (who shall be a representative of the staff side and chosen by the staff representatives), for the filling of vacancies, and for other procedural and organizational matters.

* DAIRY PRODUCTS

Hon. J. G. GARDINER (Minister of Agriculture) :

I desire to make an announcement of government policy on milk and other dairy products covering the milk year which begins May 1, 1944. and continues until April 30, 1945.

I should like at the outset of my remarks to record the appreciation of the government of the splendid job which the dairy producers of Canada have done and are continuing to do on production in spite of difficulties. The season of 1942-43 was unusually favourable and a record production was secured. The latter half of the season of 1943-44 has been very unfavourable and milk producers have done a remarkably good job in maintaining milk production at high levels.

The chief difficulty beginning in November was related to a short supply of feed in eastern Canada, resulting from the poorest crop which

Dairy Products-Government Policy

eastern Canada has harvested in fifty years. Realizing the danger of a drop in supplies the government increased the subsidies on all dairy products between October 1,1943, and April 30, 1944. This, together with assistance given toward the movement of feed grain from the West, has resulted in fair supplies under extremely difficult circumstances.

It is hoped that weather conditions will be more favourable throughout 1944, although it is recognized that to the extent that grain feed is required an improvement in the position cannot come until a new crop is harvested in the

east. By far the greater part of dairy production will, however, depend upon pastures during the early part of the season, and to that extent costs will be reduced as compared with the winter season.

The new subsidy levels are therefore placed on a lower plane in the first five months than they were during the last seven months of the preceding year, but on most items will be placed at the same level for the last seven months.

The subsidies for the year 1943-44 were as follows:

May 1, 1943 to Oct. 1, 1943 to

Sept. 30, 1943 April 30, 1944

Fluid milk 25 cents a hundred 55 cents a hundred (excepting

in certain districts where it

_ is 25 cents)

'Cheese (milk)

Nil 30 cents a hundredButter

8 cents lb. butterfat to 10 cents lb. butterfat Jan. 1Dec. 31 to April 30Concentrated whole milk

Nil 30 cents a hundred

The subsidies for the year 1944-45 will be as follows:

May 1 to Sept. 30, Oct. 1, 1944 to

1944 April 30, 1945

Fluid milk 35 cents a hundred 55 cents a hundred

(except in certain districts where it will continue to be _ 25 cents)

Cheese (milk)

20 cents a hundred 20 cents a hundredButter

10 cents lb. butterfat 10 cents lb. butterfatConcentrated whole milk

15 cents a hundred 30 cents a hundred

It will be noted that in respect of fluid milk there are some districts where there are exceptions to the subsidies suggested. In certain districts subsidies have been 25 cents throughout the year, and those subsidies will be continued.

We are at present negotiating a contract with Great Britain for cheese, which we hope will provide for Britian to take all the cheese we can provide during the next two years. Any surpluses of butter or canned milk which may result can be marketed in Britain.

We think these subsidies, along with the door under prices already provided through our agreements and otherwise for dairy products, should-result, if weather is favourable, in a record production in dairy products in 1944.

We therefore feel justified in urging the highest possible production of cheese in the cheese producing areas, the highest possible production of butter in the butter producing areas, the utilization of duplex plants for cheese in summer and butter in fall and winter seasons where duplex plants exist, and the

production of whole milk tributary to cities and processing plants turning out commodities desired in our war effort.

We are taking authority through the food board to direct plants to depend upon the same sources for milk supply as in a previous year. We are most anxious that butter and fluid milk supplies should meet domestic requirements, and that cheese should be available for both domestic and allied markets.

Mr. TUSTIN:

Does the twenty cents per hundred for cheese milk apply for the whole year?

Mr. GARDINER:

That is right.

Mr. SENN:

Would the Minister of Agriculture clarify the statement he has just made by saying in what years or under what conditions the subsidy on fluid milk will not be paid?

Mr. GARDINER:

I think that would be too long a statement to make, Mr. Speaker, under any circumstances, but I could not make it at the moment with the information at hand.

Questions