April 3, 1950 (21st Parliament, 2nd Session)

Hon. Brooke Claxlon (Acting Secretary of Stale for External Affairs):

Mr. Speaker, I had not seen the question before, but in the absence of the Secretary of State for External Affairs, to whom it should be directed, I may answer as Acting Secretary of State for External Affairs. I can tell the hon. member and the house that, as he and the house know, Canada has taken a very keen interest in this particular article and contributed a good deal to its acceptance in its present form. Our hope and expectation is that at the next meeting of the North Atlantic council-that is, the council of foreign ministers-this matter will receive consideration. But at the meetings of the defence ministers, as the communique I mentioned indicates, economic and financial considerations were taken into account as well as purely military considerations.