Mr. SPEAKER:

I have the honour to inform the house that I have received the following communication:

Government House, Ottawa, May 28, 1946.

Sir:-I have the honour to inform you that the Hon. Thibaudeau Rinfret, Chief Justice of Canada, acting as deputy of His Excellency the Governor General, will proceed to the Senate

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chamber on Tuesday, May 28, at 5.59 p.m., for the purpose of giving the royal assent to certain bills.

I have the honour to be,

Sir,

Your obedient servant,

F. L. C. Pereira,

Assistant Secretary to the Governor General REPORTS OF COMMITTEES

Mr. BONA ARSENAULT (Bonaventure):

Mr. Speaker, I rise to a question of privilege. Assuming the fact that strangers to this country, occupying high places, should not take advantage of the prestige attached to their name . or to their situation to try to influence members of this House of Commons or of a committee of this house on a decision pertaining to Canadian problems now under study, I wish to protest against the statement made yesterday in Halifax by the newly appointed British Ambassador to Washington, Lord Inverchapel, who expressed his preference as to the choice of a national flag for Canada.

Owing to the nature of his statement, and of the reflection it may bear on some of the members of the flag committee, which is sitting this afternoon at four o'clock, I definitely object to this very untimely intervention in such a controversial matter which concerns Canadians and Canadians only.

He should mind his own business.

Hon. PAUL MARTIN (Secretary of State):

Mr. Speaker, the Interpretation Act, the Bills of Exchange Act and the Civil Service Act provide that the king's birthday, or the day fixed by proclamation for the celebration of the birthday of the reigning sovereign, shall be a public holiday under these statutes. The actual date of His Majesty's birthday is December 14, but since his accession, the king, recognizing that the actual date is an inconvenient one, as it is only eleven days before Christmas, has been graciously pleased to approve the celebration of his birthday in the month of June. Accordingly, with the approval of His Majesty, a proclamation is being isued fixing Monday, June 10, as the date appointed for the celebration of His Majesty's birthday in Canada in 1946.

Explain-

Mr. ST. LAURENT: Mr. Speaker, this bill is an incident of the comprehensive proposals concerning redistribution expressed in the resolution standing on the order paper to-day.in the name of the Prime Minister. In 1912 parliament provided for the extension of the boundaries . of Quebec, Ontario and Manitoba to take in northern portions. In the bill providing for the extension of the boundaries of Quebec it was provided that the population of the new territory would not be counted for the purpose of ascertaining the number to be divided by sixty-five to determine the unit of representation of the other provinces in the Canadian parliament. Under the proposal expressed in the resolution on the order paper it is suggested that hereafter the unit of population for purposes of representation shall no longer be'the population of Quebec divided by sixty-five but the population of all the provinces of Canada divided by 254 or such lesser number as may be arrived at after providing for provinces where representation will be determined by the number of senators they have in the other house.

As a part of the scheme envisaged by the resolution, these conditions which were inserted in the statute annexing to Quebec the northern territory commonly known as Ungava, will become purposeless. This statute of 1912 had provided that it would come into operation only by proclamation, and would not be proclaimed until there had been concurrent legislation by the legislature of Quebec, and this bill would contain a similar provision. It would propose to do away with that restriction in respect of the population of Quebec, but would also contain a clause providing that it would not become operative until proclaimed and would not be proclaimed until met by concurrent legislation of the legislators of

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Quebec. I might add that no such conditions were expressed in the statutes enlarging the area of Ontario and Manitoba, because there was no similar reason for making any special provision in that regard.

Mr. MacNICOL:

May I ask the minister if the legislation to which he refers is not premature? Is it not predicated on the house passing the proposed redistribution bill, which it may or may not do?

Mr. ST. LAURENT: It is a part of the scheme, and it is intended to have it go along concurrently with the other. This is the motion for introduction and first reading of the bill, because it is intended at this time to move the resolution. It is not intended to ask the house finally to adopt the bill until the house has considered the resolution, but it was felt to be proper to have them move along concurrently. Because of the order of procedure in the house this happens to come before the resolution to-day, but at a later stage of to-day's proceedings it is intended to move the resolution.

Mr. MacNICOL:

But the resolution would have to pass before this could become operative at all?

Mr. ST. LAURENT: Not only would the resolution have to pass, but it is not intended to ask the house to give this bill second reading until the house has disposed of the resolution. And even after it is adopted still it will not become operative until proclaimed, and will not be proclaimed until there has been concurrent legislation by the other legislative body that concurred in the adoption of the 1912 legislation.

Mr. McMASTER:

Through you, Mr. Speaker, I should like to ask the minister what is the present population of this area?

Mr. SPEAKER:

Order. I am sorry, but I must remind the hon. member that it is not proper to put questions to the minister at this stage, nor is it incumbent upon him to answer them.

Motion agreed to and bill read the first time.