Mr. Stanley Knowles (Winnipeg North Centre):

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a question of privilege. This morning's issue of the Montreal Gazette contains the following:

A total of 1,106 federal civil servants or their widows are receiving pensions of less than $200 a month, it was shown today in a Commons return tabled for Stanley Knowles (C.C.F.-Winnipeg North Centre).

I hold in my hand the return in question, sessional paper No. 100A, tabled yesterday, which shows that 1,106 federal civil servants or their widows are receiving pensions of less than-please note-$20 a month.

Shame.

Right Hon. J. G. Gardiner (Minister of Agriculture) moved

that the house go into committee at the next sitting to consider the following resolution:

That it is expedient to present a bill to amend the Animal Contagious Diseases Act to provide changes in the limitation of value determined by the minister in respect to compensation that may be paid owners of slaughtered cattle; to provide additional compensation in respect to certain cattle slaughtered before the commencement of the amending act but after March 31, 1947, and for the repeal of the basis of compensation provisions.

He said: His Excellency the Governor General, having been made acquainted with the subject matter of this resolution, recommends it to the consideration of the house.

Mr. T. L. Church (Broadview):

I should like to address a question to the Minister of Veterans Affairs, notice of which I sent him yesterday. It relates to the devaluation of the pound as it affects Canadians who served 45781-50

in the imperial forces. The minister wrote me a note yesterday which reads as follows:

I take it from your note that you will ask a question tomorrow under orders of the day. Perhaps you will send me a copy of your question, and I shall try to give a clear-cut reply.

I sent the minister a copy of my question.

Hon. Milton F. Gregg (Minister of Veterans Affairs):

The hon. member was kind enough to give me notice yesterday of his intention to ask this question today.

First of all I wish to express regret that earlier discussions of this matter have been misinterpreted across the country, and I should like to make this statement as clear as I possibly can. The question which the hon. member sent me reads as follows:

I wish to ask a question of the Minister of Veterans Affairs. It is in relation to the devaluation of the pound regarding those imperial veterans who reside in Canada, as there has been considerable misunderstanding about the effect of this regarding those who live in Canada.

Would the minister clarify it, as it is said that those who have resided in Canada for some time would not lose any money by the same? I sent him some letters on this subject, and he wrote me yesterday as follows:

"Dear Mr. Church:

I am sorry if the matter has been misunderstood.

I take it from your note that you will ask a question tomorrow under orders of the day. Perhaps you will send me a copy of your question, and I shall try to give a clear-cut reply.

Sincerely,

Milton Gregg."

In reply I would say that a supplementary award from the Canadian pension commission is accorded to those Canadians who were domiciled in Canada prior to enlistment and who served in the imperial forces, and have been awarded a disability pension from the British ministry of pensions. To these Canadians our pension commission make a supplementary award bringing their pension up to the rate which they would have received had they served with Canadian forces. I should like to make it clear that this is a very special group who, naturally, are not worried. I now come to others who are worried, and about whom all of us are much concerned. No action is contemplated for those without prewar domicile in Canada whose disability pension from British sources is not being augmented or supplemented by the Canadian pension commission. Likewise no action is being taken with respect to those in receipt of long-service pensions, as distinct from disability pensions, from the British armed

778 HOUSE OF COMMONS

Inquiries of the Ministry services. The extra assistance applies only to Canadians who are already receiving a Canadian supplement to their British disability pension.

Mr. Church:

It applies only to those who resided in Canada for some time before the war.

Mr. Howard C. Green (Vancouver-Quadra):

Mr. Speaker, an Associated Press dispatch from San Francisco, published this morning, indicates that the Hon. T. C. Davis, Canadian ambassador to China, had stated upon arrival there that he believed it possible to do business with communist China. The heading states, "Can do business with China Reds: Canadian envoy." I presume the Hon. Mr. Davis will be -here over the week end, and I wish to ask whether the government will make a statement early in the week as to Canadian policy with respect to China.

Hon. Brooke Claxfon (Minister of National Defence):

The government will be glad indeed to do that.