Hon. Gordon Churchill (Minister of Trade and Commerce):
A statement on what?
Mr. Tucker:
The grain delivery quota
situation in western Canada.
Mr. Churchill:
I will take the question
as notice and have a statement for the hon. member shortly.
On the orders of the day:
Mr. G. H. Castleden (Yorkton):
Mr. Speaker, I should like to direct a question to the Minister of Agriculture. Has he received any complaints from the western wheat pool organizations protesting the inequitable distribution of shipping orders as between the grain companies and the wheat pools? If this is not a matter for the Minister of Agriculture, then I direct my question to the Minister of Trade and Commerce.
Hon. D. S. Harkness (Minister of Agriculture):
Mr. Speaker, the matter of the allocation of box cars does not come under my department.
Mr. Castleden:
Then I will direct my
question to the Minister of Trade and Commerce. Has the minister received any complaints from the western wheat pool organizations protesting the inequitable distribution of shipping orders as between the grain companies and the wheat pools?
Diversion of box cars.
Inquiries of the Ministry
Hon. Gordon Churchill (Minister of Trade and Commerce):
Mr. Speaker, I think this question has also been raised before. The answer is yes; representations have been made to me by the wheat pools with regard to box car allocation.
Mr. Castleden:
The minister misunderstood my question. It had to do with the inequitable distribution of shipping orders as between the wheat pools and the grain elevator companies.
Mr. Churchill:
The representations dealt largely with the allocation of box cars. The question of the hon. member, alleging inequitable distribution of shipping orders, was not part of their representations to me.
On the orders of the day:
Mr. A. M. Nicholson (Mackenzie):
I should like to direct a question to the Minister of Finance. I wonder whether the minister is able to make any statement with regard to the Auditor General's report and the comment in yesterday's Gazette with regard to irregularities running into several millions of dollars. Has the minister made any dismissals, or is he able to make any statement?
Hon. Donald M. Fleming (Minister of Finance):
Mr. Speaker, I have not seen the article to which the hon. member refers. The report of the Auditor General was tabled. All departments of government have taken under scrutiny the portions of that report which affect them, and whatever is required to be done to remove irregularities, if any, that existed under the former government will certainly be done.
On the orders of the day: