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

That the name of Mr. A. E. Robinson (Bruce) be substituted for that of Mr. Bruce on the committee on veterans affairs.

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

I should like to make a brief announcement in which I believe the house will be interested.

An agreement with the government of France was signed early this afternoon, under which Canada will provide to France a credit of $242,500,000 to enable France to make purchases in Canada. The amount and terms of this credit were agreed upon last September by M. Jean Monnet and myself, with the approval of our two governments, and they were made public later in the autumn.

The credit bears interest at three per cent and is repayable in thirty annual instalments, commencing at the end of 1947 and running until the end of 1976. The agreement was signed by the French ambassador on behalf of his government, and myself on behalf of the government of Canada.

This is much the largest of all our credits under the Export Credits Insurance Act. I am sure that members of the house, as well as the government, will welcome this agreement and the effective cooperation of Canadians in assisting in the reconstruction of this great allied nation with whom we have such close ties of friendship and historical association.

Mr. BRACKEN:

I wonder if the minister could inform the house what the total is of all credits already extended to countries other than Britain.

Mr. ILSLEY:

I will make a statement giving that total when I introduce the resolution relating to the United Kingdom loan, which I hope will be on Thursday.

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

That on and after Wednesday the 10th April next to the end of the session, government notices of motion and government orders shall have precedence on Wednesdays over all business except the introduction of bills, questions by members and notices of motion for the production of papers.

He said: Mr. Speaker, when I asked the Clerk to put this notice of motion on the order paper I had not realized that the house will be adjourning on Wednesday of next week, which is the 17th, over the Easter recess.

I should like to point out to hon. members that on Thursday of this week we shall have been here for four weeks, and that up to the present there has been very little consideration

Precedence jor Government Business

of government measures. The Secretary of State has a bill respecting citizenship which has not yet been given second reading. As the Minister of Finance has indicated, he is ready to proceed on Thursday with the bill respecting the loan to the United Kingdom. Apart from these measures nothing in the way of government business has been accomplished thus far, unless my little bill on the external affairs department could be regarded as such.

If I had thought of the Easter adjournment coming next week I would nave worded the motion to read that on and after Monday, April 15 next to the end of the session, government notices of motion, government orders and so on shall have precedence on Mondays over all business except the introduction of bills, questions by members and notices of motion for the production of papers. If the house would allow me to amend the motion in that way, I would appeal very strongly to hon. members to accept the amendment and allow the motion as so amended to carry. I do this without any desire to deprive hon. members of their opportunities but rather in an attempt to assist the entire house to get through its business. If we continue discussing the resolutions of private members during the next couple of weeks we shall have no government business under way until some time after the Easter recess, and then hon. members will begin to regret that they have taken so long in the discussion of private members' resolutions to the exclusion of government business. For that reason I would ask the house to allow me to amend the motion by striking out the words "Wednesday, the 10th" and substituting therefor the words "Monday, the 15th."

Mr. STIRLING:

And later on the word "Monday" will have to be substituted for "Wednesday."

Mr. MACKENZIE KING:

Yes.