Mr. BRACKEN:

The minister did not

indicate when the present debate would be proceeded with. Is it not intended to go on with it on Monday? I am referring to the radio debate.

Mr. ST. LAURENT: If it appeared on

Monday that it would be the desire of the house to go back to that debate the government would be prepared to facilitate whatever appeared to be desired.

Mr. BRACKEN:

But that is not the

government's plan?

Mr. ST. LAURENT: It was not. But we would not like to take any attitude which would not meet with the approval of hon. members generally.

Mr. BRACKEN:

When I can I like to

support the government. On this occasion I support the motion made by the Acting Prime Minister. He is rapidly learning how to make progress in the house. I think by the action he has taken we shall secure prorogation earlier than if we had sat to-night.

I shall not make any comment now on the measures which he has said he would leave over, and his reasons for so doing. I think the decision was a wise one. In postponing consideration of those measures, the government proposes taking action by order in council in the meantime. I am sure that the government will expect to defend itself for so doing. At the present time we are not agreeing to what the government may do between sessions. We understand that it will be doing by order in council what it would be seeking to do, or what it would have sought to do by the measures it is withdrawing. The minister has been explaining that the government will have to do something in the meantime. I am saying that we are not now agreeing with what it may do.

Mr. ST. LAURENT: The government will be prepared to defend, as having been the proper thing to do, an increase in the number

of men to be recruited for the peacetime-army.

Mr. KNOWLES:

If this goes much farther it will really get confused.

Motion agreed to and the house adjourned at 6.05 p.m.

Questions

Monday, August 26, 1946