Mr. St. Laurent:

With that reservation, for the convenience of hon. members I table the return at once.

Mr. Speaker, that made me curious to find out why the matter was largely academic, and I looked at the Journals of the House of Commons for May 11. There I found that the government apparently had doubts as to the legality of the act, and on that day Mr. Mackenzie King moved for leave to introduce bill No. 80, to amend the National Resources Mobilization Act of 1940. Subsequently that act became law, in 1942, and is to be found in the statutes of Canada for that year, chapter 29, page 131. There was certainly no precedent established there.

The next instance the hon. member for Essex East referred to was the emergency conservation regulations and legislation of 1942. He was referring to the then minister of finance, Mr. Abbott, and at page 1428 of the current Hansard the hon. member said:

It was not rejected. As my hon. friend knows, it was an oral opinion. Perhaps by this time my hon. friend understands that it is not possible to produce, by way of a document, an opinion that has been given orally; that was the situation in 1948.

Mr. Speaker, that was not the situation in 1948. The opinion was not an oral opinion.

Mr. St. Laurent (Temiscouata):

May I redirect my question, Mr. Speaker, to the Minister of Public Works. In view of the increasing unemployment in the province of Quebec, I might say at an alarming rate, and in the absence of a reply to my question from the Solicitor General, would the minister inform the house what progress, if any, has been made between the government of Canada and the government of the province of Quebec to bring about an agreement for the construction of the trans-Canada highway in that province?

Mr. J. P. St. Laurent (Temiscouata):

should like to address a question to the Solicitor General.

In view of the alarming rate of increase in unemployment in the province of Quebec, would the Solicitor General say whether the federal government and the Quebec govern-

3734 HOUSE OF

Inquiries of the Ministry ment have come to an agreement regarding the construction of the trans-Canada highway in that province?

Mr. J. P. St. Laurent (Temiscouaia):

Mr. Speaker, may I direct a question to the Minister of Public Works. Wishing to take advantage of the generous mood of the Minister of Public Works in the Conservative caucus yesterday, may I ask him whether consideration is being given to urgent repairs, not improvements, to the wharf at Riviere du Loup, province of Quebec?

Mr. J. P. St. Laurent (Temiscouaia):

Since the Minister of Justice informed the house

Inquiries of the Ministry on December 17 that the government had decided to subsidize a company controlled in the United States which operates the Britannia mine in British Columbia, could the minister tell the house what payment or payments have been made to keep this mine in operation?