February 25, 1949 (20th Parliament, 5th Session)

Mr. M. J. Coldwell (Roselown-Biggar):

The
Minister of Reconstruction and Supply has been out of the chamber; I thought he was returning to his seat, and I wanted to ask a supplementary question. I shall put the question now, in any event. I have totalled the figures given in answer to my question about unemployment, and I get this result: skilled workers, 14,500; unskilled, 10,000; off-the-site, 15,700, totalling 40,200. This figure seems to be wrong, having in mind the statement attributed to the Minister of Fisheries (Mr. Mayhew) at Vancouver. The minister is reported to have said there were 50,000 unemployed in the Vancouver area alone.
Righl Hon. C. D. Howe (Minister of Trade and Commerce): There is something wrong with the answer.