Right Hon. L. S. St. Laurent (Prime Minister):

I should like to lay on the table copies in English and French of the letter

addressed yesterday to the premiers of the provinces with respect to the proposed conference on the procedure for amendments to the British North America Act. As was done on previous occasions, I imagine that hon. members would wish to have this letter printed as an appendix to Hansard.

Hon. members will note that in addition to this conference for the purpose of advising on a method of making in Canada amendments to the constitution, the government of Canada is proposing to the premiers of the provinces that there be another dominion-provincial conference after the next session, and that the preparatory work on such a conference be undertaken as soon as possible.

Mr. Speaker:

Is it the pleasure of the house that the letter appear as an appendix to Hansard?

Agreed.

(For text of further correspondence, see appendix, page 2976.)

Hon. L. B. Pearson (Secretary of State for External Affairs):

Mr. Speaker, during the debate on external affairs on November 17, I said that Canada would be represented by a minister at the important forthcoming meeting of commonwealth ministers of external affairs to take place in Colombo, Ceylon, beginning January 9. I am now in a position to state that the government has decided that the Secretary of State for External Affairs should head the Canadian delegation to this conference.

The Minister of Fisheries, who will be representing Canada at the meeting of the governing body of the international labour organization at Mysore, India, at the beginning of January, will also, I hope, be available to attend the Colombo conference if the labour conference finishes in time.

The advisers to the Canadian delegation to the Colombo conference will consist of the deputy under-secretary, Mr. Reid; the head of the Far Eastern division of the department, Mr. Menzies; and Mr. Lepan, of the economic division of the department.

It has been arranged that the newly appointed Canadian high commissioner to Pakistan, Mr. Johnson, will travel with the

Questions

delegation to Colombo en route to his post, and will also act as an adviser. A senior official of the Department of Trade and Commerce will accompany the delegation, because we hope to take advantage of our presence in Karachi, New Delhi and Colombo to explore the possibilities of increased trade between Canada and Pakistan, India and Ceylon.

Mr. Coldwell:

Are any reports on persons resident in Canada given confidentially, or otherwise, by the R.C.M.P. to private citizens, companies or corporations?

Mr. Garson:

Mr. Speaker, this question is rather wide in its scope. I conferred with the hon. member who asked it, and he has agreed to substitute for the question on the order paper the following:

Does the Royal Canadian Mounted Police make a practice of providing reports upon the request of employers as to the character of persons seeking employment with such employers?

The answer is no.

1. What is the total number of employees of the national film board who have ceased to be employed by, or under, the national film board, since the first of January, 1949?

2. Of these, how many have been transferred to, or have secured employment in, other departments or agencies of government?

Mr. Winters:

In answering a similar question orally yesterday, and from memory, when my estimates were under consideration, I said, as to employees who left the board this year, that the number was 61. Actually the number is 67.

The answer to the question of the hon. member for Lake Centre follows:

1. Sixty-six appointed under authority of the National Film Act; one appointed under authority of the Civil Service Act.

2. Eight have been employed by other departments or agencies of government.