Order.

Mr. GRAYDON:

I rise to a question of

privilege.

The hon. member for Trinity (Mr. Roebuck) has the floor.

Mr. GRAYDON:

I have no objection to

the hon. member preceding me.

Mr. A. W. ROEBUCK (Trinity):

I do not give precedence to anybody in the house in

Housing

my right to speak. Your Honour, I appreciate

that your decision is based on the question as to whether there is urgency-

Order.

Mr. SPEAKER:

The hon. gentleman must

take his seat. I have given my ruling, and I cannot and do not intend to recede from it. I cannot allow any discussion on my ruling.

Mr. ROEBUCK:

There has been discussion.

Mr. GRAYDON:

I thought that the hon. member for Trinity was rising to a question

of privilege and I did not want to precede him. My question of privilege is this. Your Honour mentioned that the committee on the

rules has brought in a recommendation on this point of procedure, which indicates that there is at present a doubt about it. I think therefore under the circumstances allowance should be made for an appeal from your ruling. My second point is that I was surprised that the acting leader of the government made the announcement he did at this time with respect to housing and that it should then have been referred to by Your Honour.

Hon. J. L. RALSTON (Acting Prime Minister) :

Mr. Speaker, I do not want to follow a bad example. My hon. friend the leader of the opposition, may I suggest, is taking perhaps more than full advantage of a courtesy which has been extended to him from time to time as leader of the opposition to rise and make protests after rulings have been given by the Speaker. That is a courtesy; it is not a right. The remarks my hon. friend has just made, as he knows, are entirely out of order. I rose to make a statement with regard to housing because of the fact that there is in the country and has been for some time past some concern with regard to housing and I thought it might relieve the situation if I indicated one of the subjects which would be dealt with this session in the housing programme of the government. I am open to no censure for having done so. I thought my hon. friend would have appreciated the fact that I had mentioned that housing would be dealt with this session so that he and the house and the country might know that the government had in mind this very important subject.

Mr. SPEAKER:

I have always given the leader of the opposition a certain latitude, more than any other member, because of the very fact of his position. But when he says that there is a doubt as to what the rule is, may I say that, if doubt may be in the minds of some, it is not in my mind. I am perfectly clear that the action I have taken is in accord with the decisions of previous Speakers of the house, as it is in accord with my own judgment

But in order that there may be no possible error, that all who read may know, the question has been dealt with by the special committee on the rules of the house.

I may say also that I knew nothing of the statement that was made by the acting leader of the government. Apart altogether from statements which may have been made by him to-day, I had come to the conclusion yesterday to rule the motion out of order, on the ground I have already stated. Therefore there can be no further discussion.

Mr. T. L. CHURCH (Broadview):

I wish to know from the acting Prime Minister whether supply will be called shortly, so that the matter of housing may be raised by the ODposition.

Hon. J. L. RALSTON (Acting Prime Minister):

I cannot give my hon. friend an answer at the present time.

Mr. LOCKHART:

Arising out of the statement which the minister made with respect to housing, did I understand him to say that legislation will be enacted shortly? There was a disturbance in the chamber and I could not catch his words.

Mr. RALSTON:

What I said was that an announcement of the general programme would be made in due course. I rather anticipate that an announcement with regard to the particular subject I dealt with here may not await an announcement of the full programme, but I would not go further than that. I rose to indicate that this particular subject will be specifically dealt with.

Mr. LOCKHART:

I want to urge upon the minister that he try to deal with this subject independently of other matters.

Mr. CHURCH:

People are being thrown out on the street. Surely that is evidence of urgency.