Mr. Hamilton (York West):

The attitude that is taken today by my hon. friend is that there would be no cause for worry had there been a precedent. What type of attitude is that in connection with an examination of the estimates of a department of government in this house?

Mr. Stewart (Winnipeg North):

The word is "precedent". It does not rhyme with "president".

Mr. Hamilton (York West):

Hon. gentlemen have been arguing that the action taken by the government in this regard has been without precedent. If the item was of such importance as to be a matter of principle with the hon. member for Winnipeg North Centre, then, as the Acting Minister of Citizenship and Immigration has said, there has been plenty of opportunity to put that principle to the test.

Mr. Knowles (Winnipeg North Centre):

Will you keep the house here on Monday?

Mr. Hamilton (York West):

Mr. Chairman, there has been ample opportunity this afternoon and the only reason action has not been

taken in this regard is that the leaders over there have looked behind them and have seen the scattered legions.

Mr. Knowles (Winnipeg North Centre):

The reason is he knows we favour this money being spent.

Mr. Fulton:

You could have done it on January 30.

Mr. Hamilton (York West):

What an argument, Mr. Chairman! He favours the money being spent but the principle is not important. Surely this is proof beyond any doubt now. Let no one go away under any misapprehension. The same rights of examination are available to the house on this report as are available on the estimates and on the supplementary estimates in the blue book.

Mr. Knowles (Winnipeg North Centre):

That is not true.

Mr. Hamilton (York West):

If any further proof of that is needed, Mr. Chairman, let me say that we have had it this afternoon. Oh, I know the hon. member for Winnipeg North Centre said, "You tried to cut us off; we were not going to get a chance to debate today". I want to tell him this. The only reason we had to cut him off today was the fact that on at least two previous occasions he had a full opportunity to examine this very expenditure, and if the procedure of the house means anything it means that you follow the rules in all cases, whether one party is affected or whether it is not.

Mr. Nicholson:

Very weak.

Mr. Hamilton (York West):

So I say, sir, that there is every opportunity in this committee to ask where this money has gone. I might say that it is gone. It is not a case of some program we have devised and with respect to which we are looking for the wherewithal to carry it out. It was left with us on June 22. It is not a case of my hon. friends complaining that we are not taking care of these people now. It is not a case of them saying that they set up this program and we are not spending the money properly. Rather, they come here today, when it is all over, and attempt to have people go away with a completely phony picture of the rights of parliament and the duties of members to check.

Mr. Knowles (Winnipeg North Centre):

Your pipe line speech was a lot better.

Mr. Robichaud:

Whom are you expecting to come in through the centre door?

Mr. Hamilton (York West):

I am quite sure the hon. gentleman will not be disappointed about who is going to come in through the centre door.

Supply-Citizenship and Immigration

Very obviously if there have been any jitters they have been over to your left, Mr. Chairman.

You will not be coming through any door.

Mr. Hamilton (York Wesi):

Let me say this,

Mr. Chairman. This has been a sorry day-

Hear, hear!

Mr. Hamilton (York West):

-for Her

Majesty's loyal opposition. If this principle was so important, then I say I would have expected that the former minister of the department would have been the man to stand up and say that here was something that should have been done and done properly in the department, but it was left to the deputy leader of the C.C.F. who, having had some type of midnight rendezvous with a member of the press-

Mr. Knowles (Winnipeg North Centre):

Where were you yesterday?