1. How many Indians are resident of (a) Fort Babine reserve; (b) Old Fort reserve, at Babine lake, British Columbia?

2. How many residents of each of these reserves have died since September, 1954?

3. What were the causes of death of the Indians who died on each of these reserves?

1. (a) 285; (b) 204.

2. Old Fort reserve-2; Fort Babine reserve -6.

3. Causes of death at Old Fort reserve: Infant, nine months-meningitis; infant, six hours-congenital debility.

Causes of death at Fort Babine reserve: Aged woman, 77 years-acute coroliac; aged man, 78 years-senility; infant, three months -pneumonia; infant, 1 year-acute nephritis; infant, 1 year-bronchopneumonia; young man, 20 years-self-inflicted bullet wound.

1. Was construction insurance placed on houses under construction by Central Mortgage and Housing Corporation at the Hagersville army camp?

2. If so, were tenders called for this insurance?

3. Who was the successful applicant?

4. Will these houses be reinsured upon completion?

5. If so, what department of the government will arrange this insurance and how will it be placed?

1. No. The houses were not insured by Central Mortgage and Housing Corporation. Whatever insurance was on the project was placed by the contractor.

2 and 3. Answered by No. 1.

4. No.

5. Answered by No. 4.

1. Has Mr. Chow Lem made application for the admission to Canada of his daughter, Lem Loi Bow, from Hong Kong?

2. Is Chow Lem a Canadian citizen?

3. Has the department raised the difficulty that, as Lem Loi Bow is now over 25, it would require an order in council to deal with her admission?

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4. When was this application first made?

5. How old was Lem Loi Bow at that time?

6. Has the department also suggested, in answer to representations that she is alone and that it is a financial burden for her father to support her in Hong Kong, that she should return to mainland China where she has brothers living, and live with them?

7. Has the department been informed that the brothers live in communist-controlled China and have been so far unable to escape?

8. Does the department seriously advance the proposition that the daughter of a Canadian citizen should return to this communist territory with all its known intimidations and persecutions?

9. If not, on what grounds was refusal of entry to Canada justified?

10. Was the department further requested in September, 1954, to allow Lem Loi Bow to come to Canada?

11. If so, have they acknowledged this request and to what effect? If no further consideration or reply has been given, what is the basis of this attitude of indifference?

1. Yes.

2. Yes.

3 to 11. It has always been the practice to treat information supplied by applicants for immigration and reasons for rejection of such applications as confidential between the department and the prospective immigrant or the sponsor. The prospective immigrant in this case was not and is not admissible under the immigration regulations.

Mr. Stanley Knowles (Winnipeg North Centre):

Mr. Speaker, may I direct a question to the Minister of Transport. Will the minister comment on the telegram from the international association of machinists, lodge 189, which I sent to his office this morning, protesting against further lay-offs by the Canadian National Railways at Winnipeg? Will he bring this protest to the attention of the management in the hope that these further lay-offs might be prevented?

Mr. L. Langlois (Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Transport):

I thank the hon. member for giving me notice of his intention to ask this question. We have no information whatsoever about the alleged statement made by Mr. Dingle or the alleged lay-offs, but I shall bring the matter to the attention of the management of the company.

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Inquiries of the Ministry

Mr. Speaker:

The hon. member for Winnipeg South.

Mr. Trainor:

I intended to ask a similar question.

On the orders of the day:

Mr. O. C. Trainor (Winnipeg South):

should like to direct a question to the parliamentary assistant of the Minister of Transport supplementary to the one asked by the hon. member for Winnipeg North Centre. Would the parliamentary assistant state whether the lay-off at the Fort Rouge motor power shop in Winnipeg was the result of the policy of dieselization? If so, will the government give early consideration to the conversion of this shop to the repair of diesel locomotives?

Mr. Langlois (Gaspe):

I thought I made it clear that we had no information on the alleged lay-offs. As I have stated, the matter will be taken up with the management.