John George Diefenbaker
Progressive Conservative
Mr. Diefenbaker:
Mr. Chairman, I under-tand the item now before the committee has o do with irrigation projects. I wish to ay a few words, particularly in view of the ery frank answers given this morning by he Prime Minister to questions asked him vhen the orders of the day were called.
Certainly now no one can be under any lisapprehension that there is any possibility- ny probability-of this great project being iroceeded with in the immediate future, if t all. I know it will come as a very great hock to the people of Saskatchewan to learn hat, after all the years of advocacy of this iroject by the Minister of Agriculture and by ither members in the House of Commons, vithout regard to party, Saskatchewan finds tself now in a position where everything s up in the air, and there is almost no irospect of anything being done to proceed vith this project at all.
As one looks back over the years I am ure it will be in the memories of hon. mem->ers that this subject has been discussed iver and over again. I think one of the nost revealing of the discussions on the ubject was on October 13 and 14 of 1949, is set out in the debates for that year.
Certainly the question of cost had been dearly established in the mind of the Minister if Agriculture, for on that date, as reported it page 772 of Hansard, he said this:
Coming back to this question of whether the South Saskatchewan river project should be built vith the assistance of the provincial government, nay I say that, when the present government of Saskatchewan took over, the revenues of the irovince were about $32 million. According to the tatement made a few moments ago those revenues ire now about $53 million.
And following an intervention in the debate jy another hon. member the minister pro-:ceded as follows:
If the South Saskatchewan river project was milt under conditions that existed some three or our years ago it would cost in the neighbourhood if $60 million.
And then Hansard records that the debate :ontinued in this way: