February 2, 1939 (18th Parliament, 4th Session)

Mr. LAWSON:

I am sorry I cannot, because I should not be able to finish my speech unless the house granted me unlimited time, in which event of course I should be delighted to answer any questions.
Nevertheless, despite the wording of the order of reference, the chairman of the committee, the Liberal member for Provencher, ruled that my motion was out of order. And sc again we forced it to a vote, and this time the ruling which prevented us from calling any other witness was sustained by six to two. Let me read you the names of the members who supported the chairman in his ruling: the hon. member for Kamouraska (Mr. Bouchard), a Liberal member supporting the government in this house; the hon. member for Spadina, a Liberal member supporting the government in this house; the hon. member for Algoma West, a Liberal member supporting the government in this house; the hon. member for Victoria-Carleton (Mr. Patterson), a Liberal member supporting the government in this house; and the hon. member for Essex East (Mr. Martin), also a Liberal member supporting the government in this house. Those who voted for the privilege of calling witnesses other than officers of the broadcasting corporation were the late lamented Mr. Alex. Edwards, then the hon. member for Waterloo South, a Conservative, and I.
In these circumstances I retired from the committee and refused to attend any further sittings to draw up a report, as a protest against the steam roller tactics adopted by the supporters of this government in that committee. Then imagine my surprise as I read that in this house the Minister of Transport had the effrontery in making a speech here to declare-