Mr. Fafard;

There is no doubt about it judging by the applications. There are more of them from year to year. Are you aware that since 1942 the "Bureau des Eenseignements forestiers" (Forest Information Bureau) has dealt with more than

7,000 reforestation projects and that over 15 million young trees have been planted on farms?

Mr. Fafard:

I would say that people who have done reforestation some 15 or 20 years ago are our best boosters. Their neighbours, convinced by that successful planting, now also want to make all of their plots of land productive.

Mr. Fafard:

Certainly, and we congratulate them on providing for the future of those who will replace them. Besides, most of them are proud to show us around their plantation.

Mr. Speaker, like Mr. Fafard, I should also like to congratulate those who took to reforestation in the Portneuf riding, as several of them are over 60 years old and will certainly not see the results of their planting. On the other hand, they are citizens who have the next generation in mind and who will be quite delighted to hand down such a legacy to their successors.

I believe this policy will serve a double purpose in my riding because, in the light of a statement made by the chairman of the Canadian Pulp and Paper Association, there will be a growing demand for raw materials in this field in the future. In fact, at the 47th annual convention of the Canadian Pulp and Paper Association, Mr. R. M. Fowler stated:

In his report to the Canadian Pulp and Paper Association meeting in Montreal at their 47th annual convention, the chairman of the association, Mr. E. M. Fowler, pointed out that productivity, in the pulp and paper industry, the largest export industry in Canada, had gone up almost 50 per cent since 1949.

Canadian production potential, last year, was

90.000 tons more than in 1959. In 1959 and 1958, the increase in production had reached 282,000 and

483.000 tons respectively.

Mr. Speaker, this is an industry which is very important to the economy of my riding, where many pulp and paper companies are located. Among them, there is the Building Products Ltd. at Pont-Rouge, whose workers are now on strike. Here may I express my sympathy to those workers, as they have been on strike since September.

There is also the Donnacona Paper Corporation, at Donnacona, the J. Ford and Co., at Portneuf, the St. Raymond Paper, at Chute-Panet, the World Plywood Veneer, at St. Casimir, and the Precision Panels Inc., at St. Basile. The yearly payrolls of those industries in Portneuf county amount to $6,796,000.

Marginal Lands Development

In the lumber industry, the payroll amounts to $449,575.

In addition, the coal industry also contributes to the economy of Portneuf county.

It is therefore very important that we take some interest in those industries, because we can expect increased production in this field. If we want the economy to remain buoyant and if we want those companies to be in a position to obtain their materials from their present suppliers, we have to take an interest in the development of those industries.

I am glad to have had an opportunity to participate in this debate and I trust the people of Portneuf constituency will derive benefits from this bill.

For the information of Quebec farmers, I want to point out that many of them may not be aware of the existence of a provincial act which provides protection for those who engage in reforestation against any increase in municipal taxes. Here are a few excerpts of a pamphlet dealing with section 164 of this act:

I. Who can benefit from section 164?

A person who plants a few hundred or a few thousand trees on his woodlot to complement natural regeneration: or a person who reforests a fraction of an acre of cleared land runs little risk of having his assessment raised as a result of his reforestation activities. On the other hand, any person planning to reforest cleared land over an area of an acre or more should avail himself of section 164. Assessors may, in preparing an assessment roll, ignore the fact that a portion of the property to be assessed is now covered with seedlings; however, there is no guarantee that they will in 10, 15 or 25 years hence, fail to take into account the promising stand that has grown from those seedlings. It is therefore wise to look to the future.

II. What is required to enjoy the benefits of section 164?

A land owner who decides to reforest a particular area of his property need only, to avail himself of section 164, send notice in writing, before starting the work, to the secretary-treasurer of the municipality wherein is located the cadastral lot on which he plans to carry out reforestation, to the effect that he plans to reforest so many acres on the said lot and wishes to avail himself of section 164 of the Forests and Lands Act.

It is therefore most important that those interested in reforestation be aware of the benefits available under the act.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. members for allowing me to make these few remarks, and I again thank the minister for introducing a bill which will certainly benefit the citizens of the constituency of Portneuf.

(Text):

Mr. Fafard:

I am sure it will. Agriculture is changing and many marginal lands will be given up. Non-productive land is a liability to the province. As a case in point, Mr. Maheux, may I say that sometimes the soil is so exhausted that reforestation cannot be planned before it has been regenerated?

Mr. FAFARD:

What was the total expenditure of the federal government in assistance to agriculture in the province of Quebec, each fiscal year from April 1, 1935, to March 31, 1939?