Mr. J. H. BLACKMORE (Lethbridge):

Mr. Speaker, it is reported to me that over the,radio to-day it was anounced that President Roosevelt has called an international monetary conference for July 1, 1944. Will the Minister of Finance tell the house not later than Monday: first, whether or not Canada has been invited to this conference; second, whether or not, if invited, Canada has accepted the invitation; third, whether or not the Canadian delegates, if Canada should send such, will be told that they shall have no power to commit Canada to any international monetary agreement until after such agreement shall have been subjected to the maturest consideration by the parliament of Canada?

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

I will answer on Monday.

Mr. THOMAS REID (New Westminster):

I desire to ask the Minister of Labour a question based on a press dispatch to the effect that national selective service is endeavouring to procure help from other provinces for work in industry on the Pacific coast, with the assurance given them of permanent employment following the end of the war. My question to the minister is: Are such steps being taken, and if so, is the same guarantee being given to all those who have left British Columbia?

Hon. HUMPHREY MITCHELL (Minister of Labour):

Mr. Speaker, I am not responsible for any statement in the press. There is of course a considerable movement up and down the country under the direction of national selective service; that is inevitable under war conditions and with the civilian labour situation as it is at the moment. I have no knowledge of any guarantee being given as indicated by the hon. member with respect to permanent employment when the war is over.

Mr. J. G. DIEFENBAKER (Lake Centre):

I wish to direct some questions to the Minister of Labour concerning the lengthy statement given yesterday, as reported in the Canadian press, by Mr. MacNamara, the director of national selective service. No doubt the interview or statement is known to the minister. In the statement it is said that having regard to Canada's position to-day the number in the armed forces or gainfully employed " is just about as high as we can expect to go." Then it goes on to state that certain things are to be done by the department shortly. The questions I would ask the minister are these: In view of the declaration of Mr. MacNamara, do the surveys of the department indicate that there is any hoarding of labour on a large scale? Mr. MacNamara says that measures are to be taken in order to comb out those who have been hoarding labour. What industries are to be affected by further compulsory orders about to be issued, as stated by Mr. MacNamara? Does the statement I quoted a moment ago indicate that it is the intention of the government-

Mr. SPEAKER:

Order. The hon. gentleman has laid the foundation for his questions, and I think he should now put them.

Mr. DIEFENBAKER:

Does that statement indicate that Canada has come to a point about as high as we can expect to go in manpower and that there is to be no change in the matter of call-ups under the National Resources Mobilization Act?

Hon. HUMPHREY MITCHELL (Minister of Labour):

Answering the last question first, no change is contemplated at the moment in the call-ups under the National Resources Mobilization Act. As I indicated when my estimates were before the house, we have a staff who are continually combing the industrial and commercial structure of the country for additional recruits for the army, and we have in motion also a policy of direction, transferring men from less essential to more essential industries. That is going on continuously. It is a day to day administrative policy. As regards the question of additional compulsory transfers, that has not been finalized at the moment, and I do not think I can go further than that at present.

Mr. DIEFENBAKER:

May I ask one

supplementary question? Was Mr. MacNa-

Fresh Fruit-British Columbia

mara stating what is a fact when he said that to-day Canada faces its most acute man-power shortage?

Mr. MITCHELL:

I think that is generally understood. Most grown-up men know that.