Mr. Speaker:

There occurs today one of those happy parliamentary occasions when we wish to pause briefly to do honour to one of our own. I refer of course to the birthday of the right hon. the Prime Minister. It appears that all hon. members wish to join me in extending to him and to Madame St. Laurent our most heartfelt congratulations together with our best wishes for continued health and happiness and, of course, many happy returns of the day.

Mr. J. G. Diefenbaker (Leader of ihe Opposition):

Mr. Speaker, this is indeed an historic occasion, being the second time since confederation that a prime minister while in office has attained the age of 75 years, the other being of course the founder of this country, Sir John A. Macdonald. This is one occasion that permits parliament to reveal its glory which consists in the fact that the sentiments that separate us on different sides of the house are not as great as the sentiments that join us together. On behalf of Her Majesty's loyal opposition, and I am sure on behalf of all members of the house, I extend warmest congratulations and felicitations to the Prime Minister, coupled with the hope that he may enjoy many more years of good health and much happiness.

Mr. Stanley Knowles (Winnipeg North Centre):

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the leader of this group (Mr. Coldwell) and all my colleagues I should like to join with Your Honour and the other members of the house in heartiest felicitations to the Prime Minister on his birthday. We are glad to see him looking so well and wish him many happy returns. I am sure he will understand if I add that we feel that surely the time has come for him to enjoy a very happy retirement.

Mr. Solon E. Low (Peace River):

Mr. Speaker, I am sure I speak for all my colleagues when I say we are delighted to see the Prime Minister enjoying such good health and living in such vigorous fashion on this

his 75th birthday. I had thought during the past few months that he must have found the fountain of youth and it was in my mind to ask him privately some time just what it was and where I could find it but I was afraid he might suggest to me that I join the Liberal party and then I would find it. Seriously, I do want to join with others in extending to the Prime Minister our heartfelt felicitations, our good wishes and to express the hope that he will enjoy many more years of vigour, good health and usefulness in whatever calling he may follow.

Right Hon. L. S. Si. Laurent (Prime Minister):

Mr. Speaker, I wish to thank you and, through you, all the members of this house for the great satisfaction your words and the way in which they have been received give one when he passes another milestone after a considerable number that have been passed in previous years. To the Leader of the Opposition (Mr. Diefenbaker) and to those who speak for other groups in the house I wish to express my complete agreement with their stated opinions this morning that though there are many things upon which we disagree and upon which we express our disagreement in this forum, there is no doubt that much stronger and more impressive than the divergences which arise in our opinions and in our expressions is the sentiment that we are all Canadians and all doing our best here to serve our fellow Canadians. That, I am sure, is the solid basis of the personal friendships which exist between the members of this house and of the sentiments which are expressed on every occasion when it is the turn of any one of us to be passing one of the milestones in his life. I am really happy to be of the group that thus in friendship, each to the best of his ability, strives together to serve our fellow Canadians.

The hon. member for Winnipeg North Centre (Mr. Knowles) wishes me years of happy retirement. I feel that I shall be happier as long as I do not have to reach the point where retirement would be the wisest decision to make. It was felt in the garden of Eden that the condemnation to earn one's bread by the sweat of one's brow was a real condemnation. That was long ago. I think the greatest satisfaction we get out of life now is that of doing useful work to the best of our ability.

R.C.M.P.-Musical Ride

On the orders of the day:

Mr. H. W. Herridge (Kootenay West):

I wish to address a question to the Prime Minister, Mr. Speaker. I must say prior to putting my question that in view of the general and very sincere rejoicing at the Prime Minister's celebration of his 75th birthday I regret that my parliamentary and non-conformist conscience prompts me to ask what might be considered in some quarters a somewhat indelicate question. Does the Prime Minister know who is paying the expenses of the ladies and gentlemen of the fourth estate who will be attending an important event in Quebec tomorrow?

Mr. SI. Laurent (Quebec East):

I do not

know what arrangements, if any, have been made for members of the fourth estate who may be contemplating attending what the hon. gentleman refers to as an important event in Quebec tomorrow. I, myself, have been invited to attend a dinner and I have accepted. I intend to pay my own expenses. I have not inquired, I have given no thought to inquiring and I do not now feel it would be proper for me to inquire, as to what arrangements have been made by or with or for other guests who may have been invited and who may have accepted to attend.

Mr. Herridge:

May I direct a supplementary question to the Minister of Trade and Commerce? Could he enlighten the house in this respect?

Right Hon. C. D. Howe (Minister of Trade and Commerce):

I have been invited to say a few words at the gathering. I was informed at the same time that I would have to buy my ticket like everyone else, which I have done. I would assume that everyone who attends will be in the same position.

Hon. Stuart S. Garson (Minister of Justice):

Mr. Speaker, I should like to make a statement in respect of an announcement being made in Great Britain.

Last summer a number of the most prominent agricultural societies in the United Kingdom requested through the Department of External Affairs that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police musical ride be made available for presentation at selected agricultural fairs and other events there during the summer of 1957. The government has agreed to this and accordingly the ride will be going to the United Kingdom this coming spring.

[Mr. St. Laurent (Quebec East).)

This well-known and distinctly Canadian attraction consists of 32 mounted men under command of an officer. There are also included a senior N.C.O. riding master, a band conductor, and two to four spare riders. On December 3, 1956, a series of musical ride engagements in Canada and the United States was completed. These engagements were widely acclaimed as outstanding and those presented in the United States brought, I am sure, a great measure of credit to this country. The troop going to the United Kingdom will be composed of substantially the same personnel.

At a recent meeting of the royal agricultural society of England delegates expressed their gratitude and warm appreciation to the Canadian government for its generosity in making the Royal Canadian Mounted Police musical ride available in the United Kingdom this summer.

Although no definite itinerary has been arranged as yet, it is understood that the committee in the United Kingdom which is co-ordinating arrangements has received applications from 10 of the largest and best known agricultural societies for the appearance of the ride at their annual exhibitions. As an indication of the interest and enthusiasm back of the invitation, one of the royal agricultural shows has in mind slanting its whole program towards Canada provided our ride can be featured.

The troop will receive its Anal training at the Rockcliffe barracks during the early spring and travel by ship to a United Kingdom port towards the end of April.

[Later:!

On the orders of the day:

Hon. W. Earl Rowe (Dufferin-Simcoe):

Mr. Speaker, may I direct a question to the Minister of Justice. In view of the statement made by the minister with reference to the musical ride being sent overseas, which I think is well merited and will be an excellent and attractive advertisement, I would like to ask the minister if he would give consideration to the possibility that there might be extra demands for them in the old country and probably in Europe for another year. While it would be too late this year to make much change I would like to ask him at this time to give consideration to improving the type of horses that are used in the musical ride. Many of the horses are growing old and because they are going overseas they are not a good advertisement for this country, which I think should be represented by a better class of horses than our military men have had a chance to use.

Oh, oh.

Is this an advertisement?

Mr. Rowe:

I do not say this jocularly, Mr. Speaker. I believe this is a situation to which some consideration might be given. I believe the horses are limited as to price. I would ask the minister if he would give consideration to improving the calibre of horses.

Mr. Garson:

Mr. Speaker, I do not pretend to be as good a judge of horses as my hon. friend, but the information I have received from people who I would say are as good judges as my hon. friend is that for the purposes of the musical ride we have a most desirable type of horse. I know that this has been a matter of great concern to the commissioner of the mounted police for many years past and on various occasions when the matter has arisen he has discussed the question with me.