John Wesley Edwards
Unionist
Mr. J. W. EDWARDS (Frontenac):
Mr. Speaker, during my temporary absence from the Chamber last evening the member for Kingston (Mr. Nickle) stated as a fact something which was not a fact, which seriously reflects on me, and which I desire to correct. During the course of the few remarks I made last night I stated that I would not have taken any of the time of the House had it not been for the fact that I was absent last year when this question came up for discussion and that I was not here this session when the debate took place. In his speech the member for Kingston said-I shall quote, of course, only those remarks which refer to myself:
The member for Frontenac (Mr. Edwards) trembled with indignation when he approached the matter from the (same point of view.
I pass from the matter of trembling "with indignation;" that is not worth paying attention to. He said further:
"Oh, consistency, thou art a jewel." Because I remembered that in 1918, on May 21st, the right hon. leader of the Government moved hie amendment to my then resolution and the very gentlemen, who shook with indignation this afternoon and1 evening, voted for exactly the same language that the Prime Minister put in his motion a)s the language that I .put in the resolution which I submitted this afternoon.
The hon. gentleman, (to make assurance doubly sure, referred to the page of Hansard on which the division is reported. He said:
The division took place on that resolution, and is recorded at page 2448 of Hansard, and among the names recorded in favour of that resolution I see the names of Edwards, Oockshutt, and Sheard.
Mr. Speaker, I desire to say that I was not in Ottawa on May 21, 1918; that my vote is not recorded in any division that
occurred in the House on that date, and that my name is not in the division list to which the hon. member refers. I may add that at the foot of the list is this statement with regard to pairs:
The Chief Whips announce that there are no pairs on the foregoing division.
So that the statement made by the member for Kingston with regard to my voting on this subject is absolutely incorrect. I regret that under the rules concerning privilege I am not permitted to go further and say what I would like to say.
Subtopic: PRIVILEGE-MR. EDWARDS.