Hon. Milton F. Gregg (Minister of Labour):

Mr. Speaker, while I cannot commit myself as to the method, I can assure my hon. friend that the complaints he has made will be fully investigated.

Hon. Milton F. Gregg (Minister of Labour):

Mr. Speaker, the answer to the first part of of the question is as follows. Under the authority of the Vocational Training Coordination Act and order in council P.C. 1957-23/357 of March 21, 1957, subject to the annual appropriation of funds for this purpose by parliament, a total amount of $40 million will be provided for the federal government contribution to the provinces over the next five years under the provisions of agreements to be entered into between the federal and provincial governments to assist in the expenditures made by the provinces for expansion of vocational and technical

Questions

school facilities and for expenditures for vocational and technical school training. Of this amount $25 million is to be provided to the provinces over the five-year period for capital expenditures for expansion of vocational and technical school facilities, and $15 million over the five-year period for expenditures for vocational and technical school training.

Under the provisions of this order in council the amount to be allocated for contribution to the province of Quebec under the provisions of the draft agreement between the government of Canada and the government of the province of Quebec is as follows:

(a) A capital allotment of approximately $7,900,000 for the five-year period;

(b) A training allotment of approximately $4,373,000 for the five-year period.

Annual allotments from this training total will be the following approximate amounts: $716,000 in each of the first two years of the agreement, $875,000 in the third year of the agreement, and $1,033,000 in each of the fourth and fifth years of the agreement.

Copies of the new agreement authorized by the order in council were sent out by the Minister of Labour for Canada on March 21, 1957, to the governments of all provinces, including the government of the province of Quebec, for approval and signature.

The answer to the second part of the question is as follows. During the period from April 1, 1945, to date the province of Quebec has received from the federal government under the vocational schools assistance agreement the amount of $10,375,513.80.

Hon. Milton F. Gregg (Minister of Labour):

No, Mr. Speaker, I cannot make any promise with regard to that matter, except to state that the possibilities in this field related to some groups of farm wage earners are being studied by the commission.

Hon. Milton F. Gregg (Minister of Labour):

Mr. Speaker, while I have transmitted representations originating from public bodies and from private persons to the C.B.C., in so far as I can recall I have never made representations as Minister of Labour to the C.B.C. designed to influence their programming.

Hon. Milton F. Gregg (Minister of Labour):

Mr. Speaker, I noted with interest the report referred to in the paper this morning. As my hon. friend has indicated it was a report on the part of the deputy minister of welfare to his minister in the provincial government of Ontario. While I welcome any discussion that opens up more opportunities for older workers, I think I should not make any comment on a report that has not yet received the attention of the provincial government.