Mr. FRASER (Peterborough West):
Were there not some swimming pools put in there?
Mr. MACDONALD (Kingston City):
We did not put them in. Any alterations we made would be of a relatively minor nature, because the building had already been used as a barracks for the air force.
Mr. FRASER (Peterborough West):
It is supposed to be a fairly good building?
Mr. MACDONALD (Kingston City):
Yes.
Mr. FRASER (Peterborough West):
Have any new properties been acquired for the sea cadets?
Mr. MACDONALD'(Kingston City): As I intimated to the hon. member for Danforth this afternoon, we do not pay for any of these sea cadet camps. We provide for some maintenance, some naval officers, some help and some boats, but the camps are in existence because of the generosity and close interest of the Navy League of Canada and others.
Mr. FRASER (Peterborough West):
There were no new camps taken over in the past year?
Mr. MACDONALD (Kingston City):
Some new camps were opened last year.
Mr. FRASER (Peterborough West):
That is the question I asked: not the cost, but which new ones were acquired.
Mr. MACDONALD (Kingston City):
At Gananoque a new camp was opened, largely, I think, because of the interest of the Rotary club of that town. I have a list of the camps here. There were camps at Comox, on the east coast of Vancouver island; Chestermere lake, at Calgary-that was not new; lake Wabamun, not far from Edmonton; Shepley island, not far from Saskatoon; Stevenson's point, near Winnipeg-the sea cadets have been there before; lake Eva, 125 miles from Port Arthur; Kitchigami, not far from London; Princess Alice camp, on Georgian bay; Queen Elizabeth camp, on Georgian bay-that was opened a year before. There was a new camp at Rotary island, not far from Ganonoque; and a camp at Crow island, near Three Rivers -I think that was new last year. There was a camp at Buchan, not far from Charlottetown. There was Rainbow haven, twelve miles from Halifax, which was also opened in previous years. These are the thirteen camps which were opened in various parts of the country.
Mr. STIRLING:
None of them belonging to the dominion government.
Mr. MACDONALD (Kingston City):
No.
Mr. STIRLING:
Last year the sea cadet camp on the west coast was at Comox, and I was informed it was not the intention of the minister to use it again for that purpose. Does the minister know whether that is the case?
Mr. MACDONALD (Kingston City):
I cannot answer my hon. friend. Is the camp being put to some other purpose this year; is that the question?
Mr. STIRLING:
What I was told was that another site more suitable for the purpose of a sea cadet camp was being considered and that it -was not likely that Comox would be used again.
Mr. MACDONALD (Kingston City):
I could find that out from the coordinator of sea cadets. It may be that the camp is to be put to some other use this year. Last year it was quite a large camp; 574 boys attended.
Mr. FRASER (Peterborough West):
During the past year have any new barracks been built for the Wrens, or are any new ones contemplated this year?
Mr. MACDONALD (Kingston City):
Speaking subject to possible correction, I think the only new building we actually erected for the Wrens was at St. John's, Newfoundland. We did acquire several existing buildings in several parts of the country for the use of the Wrens, and in fact we built other buildings, too.
War Appropriation-Naval Services
Mr. FRASER (Peterborough West):
They are under rental?
Mr. MACDONALD (Kingston City):
Some of them have been bought, in fact most of them. There may be one or two under rental.
Mr. SINCLAIR:
This afternoon the hon. member for Vancouver South spoke at some length on the war against Japan in the Pacific. While I, too, am a Vancouver member, I must say that I am more in accord with the views of the minister and the hon. member for Broadview in that our job with the navy is the battle in the north Atlantic. We in British Columbia are aware of the fact that the Canadian navy will eventually fight in the Pacific against the Japanese. Having that in mind, may I ask how much of the $17,000,000 to be spent in the current year will be spent in the great harbour of Vancouver, where certainly the British navy and parts of the Canadian navy will be based at dockyards and piers, which will have to be built in advance, without detracting from the efficiency of Canadian ships in the north Atlantic.