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

Mr. Speaker, I wish to announce certain ministerial changes, and the appointment of additional parliamentary assistants.

I regret exceedingly to have to inform the house that, due to protracted illness, the Honourable J. Allison Glen has felt it necessary to tender his resignation as Minister of Mines and Resources, and that in existing circumstances I have felt it my duty to submit Mr. Glen's resignation to His Excellency the Governor General, and to advise its acceptance.

I cannot say how deeply I regret the severance of official relations with so highly valued a colleague in the government, and so old and loyal a friend. What I would most wish to say at this time is set forth in the correspondence which has passed between Mr. Glen and mj'self. It would, I believe, best explain the situation were I to read the correspondence to the house.

The day before yesterday I received by Canadian National Telegraphs the following telegram, dated at Winnipeg, Manitoba, June 9, 1948, at 8.27 p.m.:

The Right Honourable William Lyon Mackenzie King,

Prime Minister of 'Canada,

Ottawa, Ontario.

I have been informed today by my medical adviser that my illness may be protracted for an indeterminate period. I feel therefore that matters of urgent importance in my department requiring early consideration and decision may suffer by my continued absence, and I have consequently decided to submit my resignation as minister, to be acted upon in your discretion, which I herewith do.

May I add that it is with the deepest regret that I feel constrained to take this course, which severs the very happy ministerial association which it has been my privilege to enjoy with you and my colleagues in the cabinet, an association which I shall always gratefully cherish.

J. Allison Glen.

To that telegram I replied yesterday, June 10, 1948, as follows:

The Honourable James Allison Glen, M.P.,

541 Cambridge Street,

Winnipeg, Manitoba.

My dear Glen:

I have just received your telegram of yesterday. I am indeed deeply sorry lto learn that your strength has not returned as rapidly as we all hoped it might. If, as you say, there is a possibility of your illness being protracted, I think you are right in seeking to relieve yourself of the responsibilities of administering the affairs of the Department of Mines and Resources and giving yourself as much in the way of rest and freedom as possible. This should greatly assist you in expediting your recovery. In the circumstances, I have decided to submit your resignation to His Excellency forthwith and to advise its acceptance.

I need not assure you that it is with a regret equal to your own that, for the reasons mentioned in your telegTam, I feel it my duty to recommend the acceptance of your resignation. Before, however, making any recommendation to His Excellency, I should like to thank you warmly for the splendid service you have Tendered Canada as a minister of the crown, and for all that your helpful counsel and close cooperation has meant to our colleagues, and to myself in particular, in the work of the administration.

My deep regret at the severance of these happy and helpful relations will be shared, I know, in full measure by all our colleagues. Fortunately, your retirement from the ministry will not mean the loss of the association which, as members of parliament, we have enjoyed over so many years, and to the continuance of which, through the opportunity afforded you of rest and freedom from ministerial responsibilities, will, I trust, be assured for some time still to come.

With warmest personal regards to Mrs. Glen and yourself,

Believe me, as always, dear Glen,

Yours very sincerely,

W. L. Mackenzie King

I am sure hon. members generally will deeply regret, with my colleagues and myself, the Honourable Mr. Glen's retirement from the ministry, and especially the reason for it; we will all wish in deepest sincerity that his health may speedily be restored, and that we may see him again in parliament at the beginning of another session.

I wish now to announce the resignation of the Honourable James A. MacKinnon as Minister of Fisheries, and Mr. MacKinnon's

Changes in the Ministry

appointment as Minister of Mines and Resources, the department over which Mr. Glen presided and of which Mr. MacKinnon, during a portion of Mr. Glen's absence, has been the acting minister.

I have great pleasure also in announcing the appointment of Mr. Robert W. Mayhew as a member of the Privy Council of Canada, and as Minister of Fisheries. Mr. Mayhew will be British Columbia's representative in the cabinet.

I wish to announce the transfer of Mr. Robert H. Winters of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, from the position of Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of National Revenue to that of Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Transport.

I announce further the transfer of Mr. Thomas Reid of New Westminster, British Columbia from the office of Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Fisheries to that of Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of National Revenue.

It will be recognized at once that it would not be advisable that the parliamentary assistant in the Department of Fisheries should be from the same province as the minister of that department. The transfer of Mr. Reid from the Department of Fisheries to the Department of National Revenue will fortunately leave an opening for the appointment of a parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Fisheries from another province which, up to the present time, has not had representation in the house by way of a parliamentary assistant.

Mr. GRAYDON:

The Scotch and the Irish will collect the taxes from now on.

Mr. MACKENZIE KING:

I wish also to express my pleasure in announcing the appointment of Mr. Leslie A. Mutch, of Winnipeg, Manitoba as Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Veterans Affairs. The house will recall that a short time ago a vacancy was created in that position through the resignation of Mr. Walter Tucker, who had formerly occupied that position.

Finally, I have much pleasure in announcing the appointment of Mr. J. Watson MacNaught, of Summerside, Prince Edward Island, as Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Fisheries.

While it is not necessary to table the orders in council respecting these several appointments, I think it might be advisable to do so, and I therefore table the orders respecting the ministers and parliamentary assistants.

Mr. ANGUS MacINNIS (Vancouver East):

I had a question for the Prime Minister this

morning in regard to representation in the cabinet for British Columbia, and I am glad that I have not had an opportunity to ask him. I wish to be the first to congratulate the hon. member for Victoria, B.C., (Mr. Mayhew) upon his appointment to the cabinet.

Mr. Speaker, I certainly speak for all members associated with me in our party in expressing regret that Mr. Glen has felt it necessary to resign, and to say a word of appreciation of his services, both as Speaker and as minister of the crown. Naturally one congratulates the others.

Mr. Speaker, on a question of privilege, may I say that in a return tabled on February 23, 1948, in answer to a question of mine, information regarding the payment of moneys under the war emergency training program was given in full by the Department of Labour. In a return, sessional paper 186B, May 17, similar full replies were given by the Minister of Agriculture, the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Fisheries. But a letter contained in the return from the deputy minister of trade and commerce withholds the same type of information on the ground that "it is not considered to be in the public interest to give information as to subsidies paid to individual concerns."

Evident]}', in view of the other information in this return and the return of February 23, this statement of the deputy minister is not correct, and in my opinion is an interference with the privileges and rights of the members of parliament, who should be able to secure details of the expenditure of public moneys appropriated by or under the control of parliament.

I therefore request that the Secretary of State table the information asked for under the order of this house of February 25 moved by the member for Maple Creek (Mr. McCuaig).

Proposed Legislation

Hon. LIONEL CHEVRIER (Minister of Transport) moved:

That the name of Mr. Gillis be substituted for that of Mr. Argue on the standing committee on banking and commerce.

That the name of Mr. Irvine be substituted for that of Mr. Zaplitny on the special committee on prices.

Hon. COLIN GIBSON (Secretary of State):

Mr. Speaker, in accordance with an undertaking given last night to the hon. member for Eglinton (Mr. Fleming) during consideration of my estimates, I wish to table two copies of order in council P.C. 1810 of July 18, 1947, and two copies of order in council P.C. 3737 of September 17, 1947, with regard to Japanese property.