Mr. Pigeon:

Mr. Speaker, in order to prove my point, I am prepared to quote part of a speech made by the hon. member for Drummond-Arthabaska last night and, instead of condemning the attitude of the Canadian wheat board-

Mr. Brassard (Lapointe):

He did not condemn it.

Mr. Pigeon:

-or to criticize-

Mr. Brassard (Lapointe):

He did not criticize it.

Mr. Pigeon:

Mr. Speaker, I shall quote the remarks made by the hon. member for Drummond-Arthabaska, which appear on page 2197 of the official report for March 26, 1962. I quote:

Mr. Speaker, I think the grain transportation subsidy policy comes under the Canadian wheat board, at least indirectly. However, what I wish to say is that farmers in the east suffer from the government's policy and from that of the Canadian wheat board.

Mr. Brassard (Lapointe):

Is that condemning the Canadian wheat board?

Mr. Pigeon:

Surely, because he is blaming the Canadian wheat board.

If the hon. member for Drummond-Arthabaska had been in the house last night-

[Mr. Pickersgill.l

Mr. Boulanger:

I was here.

Mr. Pigeon:

-when the Minister of Veterans Affairs (Mr. Churchill) moved the legislation now before us in the name of the Minister of Agriculture (Mr. Hamilton), he would have heard him make the following statement, as can be seen on page 2188 of Hansard:

I should like to make a reference to the importance of eastern Canada as our primary commercial market for western feed grains. From time to time problems arise in the supplying of western feed grains for eastern livestock and poultry feeders. In order to bring about a closer liaison and a better understanding of these problems the Minister of Agriculture will shortly be announcing the establishment of a special eastern liaison committee to work with the Canadian wheat board.

Mr. Speaker, it seems to me that such a statement coming from the Minister of Veterans Affairs, who was then acting for the Minister of Agriculture, is very encouraging for eastern producers and will help to bridge a gap which existed under the former administration and which was never corrected.

Mr. Speaker, those are the remarks I wished to make in the interest of eastern producers.

Once again, I must say that the policy of the opposition is to set eastern producers against those in the west. I hope that hon. members from the west will remember the attitude of opposition members and will make it known in their respective ridings during the next election. For my part, I shall make this attitude known to the electors of the province of Quebec.

Mr. Brassard (Lapointe):

Mr. Speaker,

would the hon. member let me ask him a question?

Mr. Pigeon:

Yes.

Mr. Brassard (Lapointe):

Mr. Speaker, I should like to ask the hon. member for Joliette-L'Assomption-Montcalm if it would not be better to have an eastern representative on the Canadian wheat board, instead of setting up a liaison agency between eastern farmers and the Canadian wheat board. I feel that it would be much better to have someone who had his say on the board itself, and I should like to know what the hon. member thinks of this suggestion.

Mr. Pigeon:

Mr. Speaker, I shall be glad to answer that question.

As the minister explained yesterday, I believe that this special eastern liaison committee will be of great service to eastern producers and will enable them to place their views and their problems before the Canadian wheat board.

I feel that this way of doing things will be better than the do-nothing policy which always existed in the past. It is an improvement-

Mr. Brassard (Lapointe):

But we have no representative on the Canadian wheat board.

Mr. Pigeon:

It is a remarkable improvement.

Mr. Boulanger:

Mr. Chairman-

(Text):

Mr. Lawrence E. Kindt (Macleod):

Mr. Speaker, I think it is only fit and proper that I should rise at this time and join with others who have given the house the benefit of a little of the history behind the development of the wheat board. I do so because I well remember the time when Hon. Robert Weir was minister of agriculture in the Bennett government, and it was during his term of office that the wheat board was developed.

As it happens I served as an economist under Hon. Robert Weir, and about four or five of us were assigned to the job of hammering out the provisions of the wheat board act. If there is anyone who believes in and has supported the wheat board act in this house it is the member for Macleod, but to hear the hon. member for Assiniboia talk one would think he had something to do with its development. I am delighted to hear that he supports it and would be against anyone undermining it. I want to tell him that nothing this government has done has been in the direction of undermining the wheat board. The people of my province and of my riding are solidly behind the policies that have been put into effect since this government came to office, including the marketing of feed grain to feed mills.

In answer to some remarks which were made by the hon. member for Bonavista-Twillingate I wish to say there is no farmer in western Canada who is not fully aware of the Liberal attitude with respect to the sale of wheat to China. If the hon. member thinks that by a twist of his phrases at the present time he can convince the farmers of western Canada that the Liberal party takes a benevolent attitude toward the sales and is in favour of them, he has a bigger job before him than he ever tackled before.

Mr. Pickersgill:

May I ask the hon. gentleman a question?

Mr. Kindt:

I shall be through in just a minute, and then the hon. member can ask

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Canadian Wheat Board Act his question. If there is any farmer in western Canada who would vote against this government and in favour of a Liberal government, it would serve him right if he had to put up with a Liberal government in the west.

Mr. Pickersgill:

The hon. member indicated I might ask a question at this point. Can he give me evidence of any statement made by any Liberal member in this house speaking for the Liberal party to justify his assertion that the party opposes the sale of wheat to China?