FEBRUARY 3. 1940 l .

MANION lbﬁfﬁﬁs TS

time

.Urges Right Of Electors To Iillll Facts

ﬁMacKenzie King/s Political Trickery’ Exposed In Scat/ling Terms By Conservative Leader.

Inna-x

Hon. Dr. Maniorfs speech test of the dissolution of Per- ament on Janrh 25. made without opportu y proper ng . constituted a scathing re. nly to Prime Minister King's lab- ored excuses for evading inquiry into the Government's war record. The Conservative leader was on his feet immediately Mr. King‘; attempt to adjourn the House without fluiher discussion. The following verbatim report is from Hnnsard:

I I10

Hon. R. J, Manion (Leader of the Owositionr Mr Spea er- Mr. Mackenzie King

else? Is the Prime Minister to come before this house and make a prepared speech. of which no hint was given to anyone. and then attempt to close the mouths

oi’ us? I ask him if he dares do that.

Mr. Mackenzie King: The parlia- mentary procedure of this house is for the Speaker to put a. motion first. 'I‘hen. if hon. gentlemen wish to speak. they may do so.

Some hon. Members: tlon is not debatable.

Mr. Mackenzie King: The mo- tion is not debatable. but the sneaker can put the motion lust

e same. If my hon. friend wishes to speck. I should be auiie pleased to ave him do so

Mr. Mauion: I certainly wish to speak. No Thanks To King In the first place. Mr. Speaker

I should like it distinctly pointed, out. that there is no particular courtesy in permitting me to speak. any more an there was courtesy in permittng the Prime Minister to speak on a motion which is not debatable. I sh0ll1d like that dis- tinctly understood. I shouhi like to point out also that the custom in the parliament of Canada has always been for the government

give a copy of the speech from the throne to the leader nf the opposition an hour or so in ad- vance, andup to the present ses- sion that has always been done by this government. No such courtesy was extended today. not even up to the time when you. Mr. Speak- -.*.-. had the copy of the speech in your hands. So far as I know. no ccpv has been in the hands cf anyone in this house except the Prime Minisier and the Speaker.

I merely point this out. sir. be- cause it is a dlscourtesy which not only offends all the parliamentary traditions of this and the British house. but also show! an unfair decision on the part of the Prime Minister to try to caic everyone in this house without eparatlon. by the unprecedented step he has taken today. Until I went into the senate chamber I had absolute- ly no hint that there was any thought of anything like this. The Prime Minister called the parlia- ment or Canada together today in the usual way. He. brought mem- bers here from the four corners of Canada apparently. s0 far as one can Judge-we do not vet know the intention-to dissolve the house tonight That is what I under- stand.‘ that is the only conclusion I can draw. although in one part of his S/Deech the right hon. gentle- mnu said we understood what was in his mind Well. I doubt if when he rlpoke last session he thoroughly understood what was in his mind. because usually when the right hon. gentleman speaks as he did nt that time he leaves himself an opportunity to back out one of the rear doors or slip out a window. That was what he did then.

Political Trickery

The only reason why I mention this particularly. sir. is that it is Bo unprecedented to t an 0p- position in this manner. Not only

right hon. gentleman Suggest. in the speech from the throne at a supposedly regular ses- sion of parliament. that he is go- ill: lo have an immediate election.‘ but he prepares a political speech t0 be delivered here this afternoon 811d‘ gives no one else any oppor- tunity of preparing any remarks in advance. As the Prime Minister W“ sboakinl I had to sit here and Yfl! to outline a fow points I fle- i-rcrl to make as a result of this unprecedented act. For that rea- -‘°"» MY. Speaker. I ask you and hon. members of the house to bear with me if my remarks are rather disjointed.

It would have been so easy. once the right hon. gentleman and his foyemment decided on a step like h-s. to follow the usual courteous "Tamw- oi’ a prime llllllL-itﬂ‘ and a ﬁm/Efnment. However I must say

11s a not the first time that the right hon. gentleman has shown ‘his 1W9 of discourtasy towards me 5m me leader of the op- I regret that yerv much. hOCJlIEC many times in the past. I l?" wkywhatever faults the right 1W1- geuteman might hlave- and

$000081: I have pointed out his

u"! as often as anyone-that. was 011“ fault he did not have: he was usually courteous ill social life N10 elsewhere. But he has not - °Wn any of that courtesy in this instance. .

Gagging Discussion

"llfvlwt he has done from a pol- 1141 wlnt of view is to carry on

‘iflﬂt 1 consider imscru-pulous llilillcs at. this time, by calling for i‘? mlmednte election without any "it to the people. in order to ﬂag discussion in this house 2mg u,

Pout as the great

M ouootlon.

l! Mlckennio King: Will my » friend allow me to say one "lmrenrdtowbatnesua-

in ' lgested was discourtesy on my part n

not glv him a copy of, the speech from the throne? He will realize that a speech from the throne containing a declaration of an immediate appeal to the coun- try was a document which had to be kept very secret. Otherwise. as my hon. friend knows. the in- formation would have been on the streets of this country before it was. announced in parliament. That is the sole reason why copies 0f the 8096011 were not given out excellency read the

Insult. to Injury

Mr. Mauion: The right hon. Bentleman merely adds insult to inhuiv. He suggests that if he had given me a copy of the speech I would have blathered it all over the streets. As o. ntatter of fact I have no doubt at all that the

Rd copies of the speech be- ore it was reed the-senate.

Mr. Mackenzie King: I will say that no one had a wby c: the speech except His Excellency the Governor General.

Mr. Mauion: I have no doubt at all that the press have copies of it now. while I t.

in-

Mr.

_ not been carried out. which were that copies of the speech were not to be hand- ed out until after it had been read by his excellency.

Mr. Mauion: Yes. read by His Excellency the Governor General wbout three-quarters olf an hour o. I had not seen a copy. anri "Why I had to ask Mr. the speech. How- ever. that is a small matter. but it is lust in line with all the other acts of the Prime Minister in this unprecedented action of his. l-ie says. in his remarks. that the Canadian people have elnprovcd - woording to his ideapthe acts of his government. If the Canadian Deople have approved the acts of his government. why then this hurry for an election at this time? Why call a snap election on this group of tIWo hundred and forty- five members. or thereabouts. who have come here from all parts of Canada. at great expense in many instances? Why snap an election in that manner? This is simply an attempt to take unawares not only this opposition but other op- positlon groups in the house.

Mr. Mackenzie King: I will tell my hon. friend the reason why I

bid not do so prior to the calling

of the house was that I had given a promise it would not be done until the house had been called. I would have asked for a dissolution the night the Ontario resolution was put through had it not been for that.

Planting Parliament

Mr. Manion: Is the right hon. gentleman telling me that he meant to but over a trick of this kind. and that he intended to do that at this time? Does he mean he would not call an election un- til the next session of the house or until another session of the house when he could put over a trick such as this? That makes it that much worse. The under- standing was that the House- of Commons wmﬂfbe

would

ular

discuss the activities of the govern- ment. the effort of the govern- ment in the conduct of the vial‘. and so on. If we had come here. as we have. and gone on for a few weeks. the Prime Minister might have decided that an elec- tion should be called: but to put over a political trick of this kind I say is disgraceful and is sneerlng at the political traditions of Can- ada and the British empire.

If the Prime Minister had vylsh- ed to do what he has done this afternoon. why did he not discuss the matter in conﬁdence with me and with the leaders of the other parties in this house? ‘Phat would have been the better course. I should like to ask the right hon. gentleman and the rilfht 11°11- gentleman the Minister of Justice (Mr. Lalpoinlte). who sits beside him. both of whom have over and ever again held themselves supporters of democracy. the great believers in dem0cmcy—I would like to ask right hon. gentlemen this question: Where is the democracy in the present act?

Mr. Mackenzie King: I will an- swer the QRCSHOII; my hon friend

has asked . ‘ r. Mauion: My rlgm b011- fnlend has had long enough.

Mr. Mackenzie King: Let. me an- swer it. Democracy does not mean only responsibility to the leader oi the Conservative party 0r to i119 leader of the Cooperative Com- monwealth Federation or t0 ‘he leader of the Social Credit group. but it does mean that I am an- swerable to the people of thi-i country.

Mr. Manlon: Through the House of Commons, The rigiht hon. gentleman is answerable to the people of this country through the House of Commons.

Mr. Mackenzie King: No. by di-

rect roach to the people them- selves. ace to face with the omb- em

Mr. Mauion: Yes. in something like a fair manner. not by a piece of hoodwinklng such as has been done today by calling the mem- bers of the House of Commons to- gether. calllng them from right across is country. having them here for a few hours. and then having them go bac meet their electors. '

Political Appointments

And this has happened after four months in which there has been the greatest degree of pro- paganda that has been out out b any government in the history o any British country. since the R led by tho right hon.

1 rIE CHARLOTTETOWN

3C U TTLIN G

GUARDIAN

Qmbcanwdtiiu-moailnnu-luau-nq Mann-banana»-

PAGE FIVE

or PARLIAMENT:

gentleman bu been the wu-

mvsment i In: failed. For ex. - e Vemme t ha.

appointed I don't glow howl man‘:

Dress liaison ups. but. I do know this. the one of those mess liaison officers is Maior Thomas Wa. ling-and I mm not saying an or against his appointment. However. one of them is Maior Wayling- and he is only one. because there

have been half a dozen of them since this Wvemment started the

‘ : Oh. oh. Mr. Mauion: Well. since this government s to carry on Canada's war effgirzé in the man-

ner in which it been carried on. The government has appoint- ed about h a. open liaison

has released one hun- dred and sixty-five press releases since the war began. or more than one each d-ay the warhas been carried on In addition to that. there have been half a dozen oth- er press release groups. Then. you cannot turn on a. radio without hearing the words of some minis- ter of the government who is put- ting out what is supposedly a des- cription of Canada's war eifort. but about two-thirds of those speeches are political progananda.

Why ‘P

Having called this House of Commons together. as the Prime Minister dlci. why does he not make a report to it. as he should? Why does he not make a. state- ment xeslpecting the actions of the government? Why does he make that statement right before the House of Commons? May I point out that at the short session of parliament held in Sep- tember the party which I have the honour to lead. and for which I spoke. offered full cooperation and assistance to the gove-rnanent- ment. And I say vlrithout fear of successful contradiction that on that msaslon we gave cooperation. advice and assistance. Not only did we offer to do that. but in the last four months. since the adjournment of the short sessions. we have carried out our pledge. There has never been a clay in which‘I1 have gone forth in Can- ada to make _any political Speech —not one. I did out out three or four brief statements in regard to certain nastier-s such as mothers allowances and allowances for ae- pcndents. but in that time I have never made a, political speech. The party ‘which I have the honour to lead has stood by that pfilmlﬁe 0i cooperation. not only through the shcrt session but since the close of it. I have never on any occas- ion been called in or shown any- thing by the Prime Minister will’! regard to the war. In fact. except two or three times socially I have not seen the Prime Minister since the last session. I say there has been no failure by one ~of the great parties or‘ this country to co-op- erate with the government. I say we showed a desire to play boll. but the present procedure on the part 0f the Prime Minister shows an inexcusable desire to play ﬁllies instead. In other words.

tead of preparing for the war they were preparing for an elec- tion. So far as Ilcan see. that is what they were trying to do.

Ontario's Situation

Let me deal briefly With the right hon. gentleman's remarks about the Ontario situation. Ap-

rently he blames the calling of

e general election on a resolu- tion passed in the legislature ‘of Ontario. I should like to ask him what right the provincial legisla- ture of Ontario has to dictate to the people of this country when there shall be an election. right has it to dictate to the fed- eral govennment of Canada? Should not this House oi Commons be the body which would make that de- cision?

The Prime Minister has stated that the resolution was moved by Mr. Hepburn and seconded by Colonel Drew. According to the press it was moved by lVI-r. Iieldbum and seconded by one of his min- isters. the Hon. Mr. McQuesten. Colonel George Drew did not sec- ond it. Anyway. no matter who moved or seconded it. this is the forum before which the Yl-ltht IIOII. gentleman has to answer-not the provincial forum in Onto-rio- I! he really wanted to call an election because of that resolution. why did he not call it? Why call the House of Commons here to deal with that question?

Another matter I should like t0 mention brieﬂy the soldiers vote. e right hon. gentleman has said that the government is going to bring in by way of refl- ulation under the War Measures Act something which would per- mit the soldiers to vote overseas. The right hon. gentleman has been travelling around this country for years talking about the su-

remacy of parliament. The par- iament of Canada is now in ses- sion: and vet he tolls us todny. when parliament is in session. that

DeDu-rtznent of some minister.

The minister who preceded the

resent Minister 0f National De- ence has many faults. as I expect many of us have. ‘Ihal. hon. gentle- man was shown up in this parlia- ment as having acted. to say the least. not advisedlv in regard to the Bren gun. But he was defend- ed by the Prime Minis (Mr Madrenzle King). He was de- fended by the Minister of Trans- pori. (Mr. Howe). He was defend- ed by the then Minister of Labour. the present Minister of National Defence. He was defended also by on or two others. but I have for- gotten which ones. These hon. gentlemen stood by him. why then has he been demoted? If he was right. why has he been de- moted? If he was WTOII-R. why has he been kept in tne government? What I meant really to soy was that with all his faults I tmink the former Minister of National De- fence (Mr. Mackenzie) was u more capable Minister of National De- fence than is the present minister.

“Do-Nothing Government"

Labour under the

I have a few words to say in re- gard to the government's present war effort which has been referred to in the speech from the throne as well as by the Prime Minister in his remarks on the floor of the house this afternoon. In view cf the fact that long before the war this government was nicknamed the “GO-IIDl-TIIII" grvzrnlnenl." the uiﬂple oi Canada should not have expected that this government would be able to handle the war effort at all well. The people have not been disappointed in that. Not only did this government not prepare for war. but to my mind they have handled the war effort of Canada in a most disgraceful maxmer. After more than a year's warning we have called up one di- vision to go overseas. There were not enough clothes for these men: there were not enough boots. not nough blankets and not enough machine pjuns. These men yvent overseas uneouipped lo a large ex- tent. What equipment they had was obtaind by gathering in what

clothes and equipment could be found scattered here. more and everywhere throughout all sec-

tions of Canada. I know of one battalion from British Columbia which was dressed in cotton under- wear and cotton clothing. These men crossed this north country in the nuddle of December and con- tinued aoross the north Atlantic in the some kind of weather. I soy. again without fear of contradic- tion-tlhis information comes to me from doctors in charge of these militia regiments-that many of these men are sick and large num- bers have been sent to the hOs/Dital because cf lack of preparation and because of lack of vision on the part of this government

No Preparation

If it were true that no one had forseen the da-ruzer of war ilhen perhaps I could not criticize. But I find that the Prime Minister. in his remarks on the address in re- ply to the speech from the throne during last session-I refer par- ticularly t0 pages 29. 30. 31 and (i2 of Hansard-said repeatedly that for as long as five years he had thought of nothing except the necessity of preparing for war. Yet no preparation of any kind was made. If it were not for the fact that this is a tragedy. some of the stories which we hear about the lack of preparation would be oulte funny. For example, when the war began a general wrote mc-I won- rier if I can remember the phrase he usedil-stoting that the anti- aircraft units had no anti-aircraft

guns. and that the scarchllght units had no searchllghts. Thai. is what has haimlcncd all across

this country. There has been a complete lack of preparation. and as a result the yzar effort so far is deplorable.

I intended to deal urlth this quite fully when I was speaking on the address in reply to the speﬂoll from the throne. Whatever has been achieved in the way of pre- paration has been obtained only by kicking this govemment into action. The matter of mother's allowances was settled only the other day. There or‘: thousands of widows and other dependants of men who have enlisted to whom this government has foiled to give the proper allowance. One man told me that he had been in the army for four mcnthe and had had to sell an old car vlvhich he had so that he could carry on. His wile had not received iler seb- aratlon allowance. Along tolvald Christmas we heard that these separation allowances were being paid. but the mothers ire still without their allowances,

Cites Many Complaints

Many of the boys who Enlisted were on relief, and they owed no gratitude to this government for anything which had been done to relieve their distress or to give them work and yvages. 'I‘hese boys

under the War Measures Act he and his government are going t0 repare something by way of a

rame-um-and I think that is a pro r word-to DPOViGE I01‘ the solders’ vote overseas. That is

I can only say that Tmst about the su- rlament was never humbug than

what he says. his talk in the premacy of D0 better proven to be it has been today.

‘Mr. Rogers Answered

Then. he has said that a new parliament would take up nost- Wm‘ problems. Well. this govern- merit has never solved any of the pre-xvur pro/beans: I do not know how it is going to solve post-war problems.

Mr. Rogers: Oh. oh.

Mr. Mauion: Let me say to the Minister of National Defence (Mr. Rogers) who is laughing now t-llﬂi for ycars he was Minister of I-a- bour. He was the mun who was suuposed to handle unemployment in ‘Kills country. I nay that n0 Minister of Labour in the history of Canada has ever made sucha com- plete failure of the handling 0f such a problem as has the hon. gentleman. HLs reyvard for hand- ling the Department of Labour in such a weak manner was to be made Minister of National De- fence. nt the present time. the most important danartmcnt in the gov- ernment. How can the people of Oliifldﬂ expect that a Minister of Labour who made a failure of run- ning the labour department should make n success of the administra- tion of the Department of No.- tional Defence? This is one of the

reasons why the Department of ‘valfcual Defence has been such a

farce under the present Minister

of National Defence. as was the.

had tho g-uls to join the army to fight for Canada; they had the decency to come forward and offer their lives for democracy: vet in many instances the mothers of these boys who were on relief. partly on account of the inactivity of the fonuer Minister of Lnboilr and the government generally in not solving this problem. are being faced with hunger. I have in my office scores, perhaps hundreds. of pitiful and pathetic letters from mﬂihers or boys who are now in the army. Many of these mothers have pleaded with me not t0 let 1t be knmvn publicly that they are not being treated decently by this government. They did not want their boys overseas to know of the suffering they are going through because their sons offend their lives. 'I‘hi.= matter was cleared up only a few days ago. Rather. it is not all cleared up. but a stale- ment was put out bv iho Depart- ment of National Defence contain- ing the promise to straighten out this disgraceful condition. This government ncver (i095 anything without being kicked into doing it.

The wheat sa'e to Russia was an- other example. wheat. was sold to Russia. and it was only after uro- tests were mmlc across Canada from the Atlantic to the Pacific

this government acted. As usual. it hml to be kicked into doing it.

‘There was no defence for this country. What ls oven worse. there were no plans for defame or for equipment. Yct as for back as 1936. if not earlier. the defence associa- tion of Canada was pleading with this government to net ready for the inevitable war. They asked the government not only to prepare defence plans but lo Drebare de- fences. Yet practically nothing was

doneinngud totbsthTlutiswhy the record of this government has been so deplorable. indeed so dis- graceful.

Air Training

I have o other matter to touch Wu and en I shall hove con- uded for the present. The right hon. gentleman through the mouth of his excellently has made refer- ence to the British commonwealth air-training plan. On December 17 the right hon. gentleman boasted over the radio that tlhis Dian was the result of an original proposal by the British to establish air-train- ing schools in Canada for British pilots. The fact is that by July l. limit-personally I think it goes back to 1937-the British had been over here pleading with the Prime Minister to give them the right as one of the partners in the empire to establish air-training schools in Canada to train British pilots It was pointed out that Great Bri- tain was in distress. It was point- ed out that the fog in that country cut down the number of possible flying hours and caused innumer- able accidents. It was pointed Out that in case of war with Gerznanv that oOunt/ry would be able to send across the hordes of aeroplanes with which she was so well eouip- ped to bom the aeroplane manu- facturing plants and the dromes of the British.

All this was pointed out to the Prime Minister in 1937 The then Minister of National Defence re- ferred to the fact that the Van- couver Sun. a Liberal organ in the issue of July 7. 1937. I think it was.

MYO-

| made the statement that this gov-

ernment had fumbled the issue- that is the word they used-of helping the British to establish alr- trluninu schools in this country.

l MACKENZIE KING: I lust. wish to say. in reply to my hon. friends that whet I 581d in this House of July 1 and which is on Hansard is literally and absolutely the truth. the whole truth and nothing but the truth: and what I said in my broadcast is based on my statement. and I stand by it as absolutely correct.

MR. MANION: I am not going to question that: but if the right hon. gentleman had wanted vs be fair this afternoon and permitted me to bring down to this chamber my papers. and I would have shown the facts out of his own mouth. He admitted himself-he admitted it over the radio 0n De- cember lT-that the British had made exploratory proposals to the government-verbal. of course. nothing written. because there was gloat play on the word bequest".

Quotes Dandurand

Senator Dondurand in the other chamber in 1938. in a apeeoh oc- cupying half a page of Hansard used the wopd "request" nine or fen limes to emphasize the point that the British had not made any request. But the fact remains. and the Prime Minister admits it in his own words. that the British. in informal exploratory conver- sations. proposed establishing 5ch0o‘s for tlhe training of British air pilots in Canada.

MR. MACKENZIE KING: We said that we would provide the facilities ourselves and give the:'\

the onpontunlties here. but that the administration musi be under the government of Canada. not under the government of the United Kingdom.

Some hon MEMBERS: Hear. hear.

MR MANION: My hon. friends

had better not applaud too $0011. He said that we would. in our es- tablishments here. give thorn the right to train. Where were our es- tablishments? Where were our per- sonnel? Where were our machines? We did not have any establish- ment or machines. um the speech of the ex-Minisier of Na- tional Defence (Mr. Mackenzie) in the House of Commons last year and see how many fighting planes we had. We did not have any. We did not have any facilities at all t-o train tllie British MACK

Mr. myzrn knvo: Then we would have been no further ahead.

MR. MANTON! Well. I will deal urith that too. The ex-Minlster of Nart-ionﬂl Defence. in a Speech in this house which I would quote if I had had time to look up Han- sard. said that the government were so anxious to cooperate with the British-reinforcing what the Prime Minister said-that we were going to train 126-1 think that was the number-of pilots here a year. and all we were going to per- mit ihe British to send across were fifty a year. Those were his words as reported in Hanserd-fiftv a year Yet Sir Kingsley Wood. the head of the air defence force in the statement in it was on October because I had been studying this matter. and gbttinl thoroughly shocked as I studied it —lhot what the British had hoped was that there would be 25-000 pilots trained a year. And we were going to train fifty. That is what the sex-minister of National De- fence stated. At that rate it would have taken us five hundred years to provide them with one year's supply of pilots. That is the DIO- {JUSB-ll those figures are taken from the actual record. Fifty years. is it? Well. it does not matter. but I think if you divide fifty into 25.000 you have not fifty but five hun- dred. Some of my hon. friends laughed a little too soon. Sometimes thienéoud laugh speaks the vacant m .

Ignored Empire Need

When the British were facing an unscrupulous man like Hitler; when it was known that Hitler nod at least twice as many planes as the British and the French combined: when the British appealed to the right hon_ gentleman. in the face of that emergency. with war in the offing. to pemiit the establish- ment of air-training schools in Canada to train pilots for Britain and the empire. and the right hon.

ntleman refused. he did some- gins‘: which made him unfit to remain Prime Minister of this country.

Mr. MACKENZIE KING: I lust wish to make it perfectly clear that I refused nothing except the mat- ter of who was to administer the schools and by whom they were l0 be provided.

Mr. MANION: I will go on with that. 'I'he right hon. gcnllelnan says he refused nothing. But on December 17th he said that the proposal which he now bflllgs for- ward. and which he calls the Bri- tish commonwealth air-training plan. is in effect merely a con- iintiation of the original proposal. But this is not a. British common- wealth air-training plan at. all. It is largely a Canadian air-training plan. The British proposed to come

over here and establish schools for

Diloil. to be maintain-

Letussec

their flying ed at their own expense.

what would hava happened if the .

right hon. gen enlan had said to them at that time as I say he should have done. They wouki have come over here and established their air t schools. They would have brought over their British young men train at the rate of 25.000 a year. If that figure is an exaggeration. it is sir Kingsley Wood's exaggera- tion. not mine. 1f the right hon. gentleman cares to look up his speech of December 1'1. he will see that he himself said that we were gﬂlng to train many thousands a year. So apparently many thous- ands a year are needed Sir Kimmley Wood said 25.000.

Mr. MACKENZIE (Vancouver Centre): My hon. friend evictenlly has not leamed what the sugges- tion related to. It did not relate to the training of pilots generally:

re ted to an advanced stage of development. That advanced stage we promised that we wouidpnovide in accordance with the wishes of the British government.

Mr. MANION: Yes: and we have provided a lot of itl We have not even got started providing it vet. The British would have come over here in their thousands to train. Then. when we wanted our young

men- MACKENZIE (Vancouver

Mr. Centre): May I inform my hscan. this

friend that last year. when the .000 vote was passed by

house. the British themselves onl

asked us to train fifty pilots - Ml‘. MANIONZ I

had said that 25. m trained annually. and I pointed out last March that ftv was

mepelv a "flealbiie". It was not a very elegant term, but. I used it I say that the British would have sent over thousands to train here. and then. when we wanted our men trained. we could have sent them to the same schools to have them properly trained at little cost t0 us.

Big Opportunity Lost

On top of that. it would have meant the building up in of a great industry for the produc- tion of planes. which industry is now being built up in the United States and in Great Britain itself. Here we are. a country with hun- dreds of thousands of unemploy- ed looking for opportunities of work. The Prime Minister has this proposal out up to him by the British to come to their aid in a time of distress. He refused: and the British then started to do what they did not wish to do: they built up manufacturing plants for their planes in their own country-manu- facturing plants which they came over here with the intention of es- tablishing in Canada. I learned wlhen I was in England not long ago that on one occasion they came over here with a hundred million dollars’ worth of orders for Canadian plants. but they received from the Prime Minister of Can- ada such a. cold reception to this request that they refused to give alny of those contracts at that tme.

That is another reason why this government. I contend. has shown itself. in its preparation for and its carrying on of Canada's war effort. uruflt to govern.

Mr. LAPOINTE (Quebec Ehst)! That is a strong oase for a general election.

Mr. MANION: Yes-at the proper time. I am not oblecting par- ticularly to a general election. I am objecting to the tricky nuan- ner in which it is being called. I am objecting to the House of Com- mons being called together and tLcn laughed at by the Prime Min- ister and-if you like—by the Min- ister of Justice (Mr. Iopointe). in the face of all their talk across this country of the supremacy of this parliament. 'I‘he'y are laugh- ing at the House 0f Commons and at the supremacy of parliament. They tell parliament in session that they are going to pass under the War Measures Act regulations for the overseas soldiers’ vote. “Riot sense of fairness can we expect in a government which has done what it has done today with regard to this oversees vote?

Unfair To Canada

However. I wish to close. I merely wanted to point out a few of the things which came lnto my head when the Prime Minister was speaking. All of them are mention- ed in the speech from the throne. I say that the Prime Niinister. in refu the British the Oppor- tunity to train their pilots here. did what was unfair to the people of Canada.

Mr. MACKENZIE KING: I ab- solutely deny that there was any refusal to train pilots here My hon. friend. by endless repetition of a statement of that kind. can- not give lt any veracity.

Mr. MANION: Well. I can give it veracity by the right. hon. gentle- man's own words. and before this election is over I will quote the-m over and over again. His words dis- tinctly state that these proposals came from the British informally. He said that they came here: they were not requests. they were "pro- posals." or some such word as that. which anyway meant that: that they had carried on informal con- versations with this government in Canada: and he said that lie re- fused. 0n the ground of constitu- tional practice.

Mr. MACKENZIE KING: May I soy to my hon. friend that these informal convermtions were with- in tlwo or three weeks of the time I slpoke here on the first of . Mr. MANION: He says that. Mr. Speaker. but where did the Van- couver Sun get its information a year before that?

Mr. MACKENZIE KING: Prob- ably from my hon friend.

Mr. NIANION: N0. I was not even in politics then. I was not in the house and I knew nothing about it. They may have got it from the former Minister of Na- tional Defence. who sits near him. and who was out there about the time. and I have rather wondered if he did not give them the in- formation in disgust at the refusal of this government to give the British government B decent break.

Iirgrs Reconsideration

I do not intend io lake un any "lore of the time of the house. I repeat what I said at the begin- ning. that this is a most unfair procedure. unfair not only to the parliament of Canada but. to the people of Canada. and I suggest. to the Prime Minister that even now —he has not definitely said that

he is going to dissolve the house tonight but I take it that he is- Mr. MACKENZIE KING: I

think flier my hon. friend‘ soecch it would be advisable w. a

thing to hat on I will give him som . I so thatltlsthexdutyottberrime

hi .

MACKENZIE KING: Nmpit

lsdgo go before the people of Can- s .

Mr. MANION: The Prime Min-

d have gone before the

thout n:

Vancou 1 ti; g ﬂglllfﬂ the Zeigges and "om Y- KEN KING: And would have done that if ho hgd not promised my hon. friend that he not have on election be-

fore another session.

Mr. MANION: He promised that he W°1I1d not have an election un- Lll another 5581M] 01 the houge Did he mean by that to hood- WlIl-k the members this par- llament? was that his trickery? I Say that if the e Minister meant to do what he is doing m. may he meant to hoodwink us and he was guilty of n despicable po- lltiﬁal .

r. MACKENZIE KING: WW0! were very clear and My made clear because of my respon- sibility in the matter. I pointed out that parliament would be called. Whﬂt was advisable to do when parliament was called would de- pend upon what had happened in the interval. It is wimp

has hit/opened in m

Mr. MANION: What has hap- pened in the interval? The right hon. gentleman has been Violenﬂv attacked by Mitch Hepburn. Is there anything new about that‘? so Iaraslazneorwemedl mink mun is right. I think he has been rilht all alon8. and ‘lever was I so sure that he is right as I am now made sure by this piece of poli- tical trickery of the Prime Min- ister today. It is running away from parliament: it is not facing

the pew

otMéieﬁPEAlCliufgz 1118f; hon. letaageler 0000s! n reoee y

used the word "trickery". 1 do not

think the/t is parliamentary.

Mr. INTE (Que/bee East): It would be all right in the legis- lature of Ontario.

Mr. MANION: I will withdraw the word. but I do not quite know what other word to substitute that will express my opinion. Perhaps your honour will help me out, I do not wish to be unparliameniarv and will withdraw the word. I will say this. that never in the history of our country was there a. more armmmemsn. s W“

h this afternoon. am“ m Ml‘. MACKIINZE KING: Never was there a more responsible act.

MI. MANION: ‘Than what the night

hon. gentleman is doing? MACKENZIE KING: Y Mr. MANION: If the gentleman will clmnge the Byllﬂblb and make the word "irres- Donsible‘. I will agree, Democ

At Stake

will a» let people decide. But I still think that ‘in decenc.v— I do notbtsgy otahaargffgnsively-and as a ma r eali with theuHouse of Comm m Dar amenltary system Britain and Canada, ml: Miruster and his government should come back here. carry on the 59s. sion and bring in legislation for flaking the soldiers’ vote overseas. 0f course I shall be told; what did the other party do about the soldiers’ votes? Because it is al- ready implied that something un- fair was done. I was not a men-g,- ber of any government prior to 1921. and had nothing w do with what was done at that time, but even if I had been a member c: that government, is 11, my 1115311- cation for doing something wrong MW to say something was in: was meet...’ “a u“ “r en neary everything has been: But you people from 1914 to 1918 did worse -—the old ivu ouoque argument. Have we not gone ahead at all: have we made no ess in

not denying that there may have beer-i because I do not know much about lib-surely thpt is all the mom reason such things should not be repeated now. 11m is my argument. This is a. time to film 10!‘ dam ucy here at home. 8i? is going to profit us if we

for dearloeracy Eiltobg and lose it here in Canada? And thalt is what we are doing by such an act as the Prime Minister is pull- ing off today. I-Ie is endangering the whole democratic principle m; W We are fighting along with Britain and France. The wvhole difference between Hitlerian dlc. tawrship and our system is the dif- ilerence between free speech and no free speech. The place for free Speech is in the parliament of Canada Mr. MACKENZIE KING: It is in the wuntry.

Mr. IVLANION: It is in pgplig. meni: since parliament has been called. We shall have it on the

‘hustings loo. But the place w have ‘questions answered is here in m".

llament. With the parliament of Canada dissolved how can I get in- formation. without any rctumg; without any questions being au- swered? I do not expert that any

(rllf the ministers will give me much

in the House of ‘ "5- The Place to discuss these matters is here in of Commons. I submit. Wvﬁmment has been extravagant: it has been mreless: not only has it been unprepared but it has been deplorablv yveak in carrying on the war activities of this country. I 58V that: and this is the place for me to get the information I want t0 prove my case. not. out on the bust-lugs where the ministers will simply deny that the facts are here.

Ml‘. MACKENZIE KING: 'I'hen my hon. friend is making his as. sertlons without any proof?

Mr, MANION: I have plenty of proof. If the right hon. gentle- man will allow the session to m over until next week: if he will go back to his eaay affirmations of fair dealing and democratic prln- clples which he used talk so much about all across this coun- try. and will live up to them this SPHiOH. I will give him evidence in support of all the statements I have made.

I have nothing more to soy. If it is the decision of the Prime Min- Lster to dissolve the house tonight. we shall leave it in the mouths of

want to govern them and to cam on Canada's war effort. I venture to make this prophecy. In view of the unpreparedness of the govern- ment. in view of its weak war ef- fort, and 1n view of the attempt of this government to out over this piece of trickery 0n a man do- eiAon-I beg pardon. Mr. Sneaker. for the Word "trickery." but I cannot think of any other word to express my opinion-in view of the government's act today in try- ing to bring about a snap decision without the members of this house being given a fair opportunity to lot the information tnev seek and to that information here in this house. I am convinced that no; only the Prime Minister but his government will be swept out of power and some other group will be out in power to carry on the affairs 0d’ this country and Can- ada's war effort.

GIJVTWMAKES PUBLIC All wnllglulslls

UITAWA. Feb. l—(GP)—Th0 Government made public in book- let form today war contracts awarded between July l4. 1939. and Dec. 31. wioliing $6l.063,456.

These contracts. covering war Suwly board activities for Decem- ber and November and activities of the defence purchasing board Drlor to its being taken over by the war supply board, were to have been tabled in the House of Com- mons i.f Parliament had not been dissolved.

The defence purchasing board, which was under the chairman- ship of R. C. Vaughan of Mont- real until it became the war supply board on Nov l. let contracts to- talling $4l.288.90'1. The War supply BOard. under the chairmanship of Wallace Campbell. awarded 0rd. ers valued at $l9.'l74.549 between Nov. l and Dec. 3i.

Last Dec. 8. Transport Minister Howe started issuing weekly lists of contracts valued at more than $5.000 but operations prior to that time were not made public until

The lists are made up of items of all descriptions. ranging from a coastal defence battery to corn syrup for soldiers’ pancakes. Aircraft. aircraft equipment, uniforms. mitts. socks. underwear. and food for the active service forces accounted for a great marry contracts. Railway equipment ' for both the Canadian National Rail- ways and the Canadian Pacific Railway constituted the largest contracts on the purchasing

boanis list. C. N. R. equipment amounted to gégstiaoo and C. P. R. to $8591.-

mont-hs the

WM 5119'

: Sop mber. October. $35.056.'I96. The Di 6l327236t

y : November. and Decelmlber. $6.50l.58i.

repairs. alterations d. 1n.

shipyards an some cases. conversion. 0K vessels for

tho ooas service has been converted into coastal patrol vessel at l. cost $13,095. Conservation of and re- pairs H. M. C. S. Bras d'Or cost 521.633. and conversion of the ves- sel Venosta into a minesrveeper at Halifax was done alt 317.865. Other

were the gate boats Ypres and Festulbert and the Ray- on d‘0r, a trawler. became a. mine- sweeper at a cost of 319.592. Virtually all the orders were placed in Canada. with a few for such things as aim-aft engines placed with the British Wor Office. United States aircraft companies obtained a lame portion of those contracts let outside the Dominion.

Maritime Life Assurance 0o. Annual Meeting

HALIFAX. Flo-b. 1——(CP)—BilIJ- iness in force now totals more than $17,500,000 as compared with $16.- 864,000 at this time last year. it was reported today at the anhual meet- ing of shareholers of the Maritime Life Assurance Company.

The Company's assets now total more than $3,000,000 as compared with $2,686,000 at the inst annual meeting.

Following were elected directors for 1942-

E. Albert Reilly. Monclon; Senator F. B. Black. Sackvllle: J. D. Mc- Kenna and Red l-Iuflh McLean. Saint John. and W. H. ltilller. Campbell- ton. all of New Bflllkiilifkjﬁ and Dr. J. G. MacDougail. H. H. silver, 'R._ B. Colwell. Dr. G. H, Murphy. and J. H. Winfield, Halifax; W. F. Fraser, New Glasgow, and Dr. J. h. Mclsaac. Ant-igonish, for Nova Scotia.

At a meeting of the directors M.r. Reilly was re-elecled chnlrlnan of the board and Mr. MacDougall President.

Ls JOB HUNTING GOES MODERN

NE\I YORK, F‘eb_ 1—(CP)—0ne hundred high school graduates of Manhattan's lower east side have organized themselves into what they call "The East Side Job Council" a mass Job-hunting organization which to date has netted 63 jobs for its members. The council. whose motto is "Rugged Individualism is no Longer Feasible." sends its mom. bers out in two: and l-hrccs in this new (to-operative Job-finding lech- nlque.

_._m______________ ADVISES LOR?S_ ACT Tlll-IIR

LONDON. Nb. l -~(CPl --'l'l:e Earl of Glasgow wants a litllc mow» decorum from his fellow members of th-c l-louso of Lords. Every time one of the ministers is srhcziulcri lo mnke an important siatclncni. in Commons. there was such a. rush lor the peers‘ gallery. that ilie scrum "was dangerous to life and limb." "I am not lecturing your lordshlpa

the people to Bay which party they

but onl trying to save you from harm." In pleaded,