Mr. Speaker:

I have the honour to inform the house that I have received the following communication:

Ottawa, January 7, 1958

Sir:

I have the honour to inform you that the Honourable Mr. Justice Robert Taschereau, acting as Deputy of His Excellency the Governor General, will proceed to the Senate chamber today, the 7th January, at 9.45 p.m., for the purpose of giving the royal assent to certain bills.

I have the honour to be, sir,

Your obedient servant,

J. F. Delaute

Secretary to the Governor General (Administrative)

Mr. H. J. Robichaud (Gloucester):

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a question of privilege. My question of privilege is based on sessional paper No. 117-B which was tabled in the house on Friday, January 3. This sessional paper followed a return to an address of the House of Commons dated November 6, 1957, for a copy of all correspondence and other documents exchanged between the federal government or any of its departments and the governments of the provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia or their respective power commissions, from April 1, 1957, to date, regarding the development of electrical energy.

Page 94 of the said sessional paper contains a copy of a letter from Premier Hugh John Flemming addressed to Right Hon. John Diefenbaker, Prime Minister of Canada. This letter says:

I am enclosing a copy of my comment on the memorandum of Hon. Alvin Hamilton dated September 30 in connection with power problems in the Atlantic provinces, which I trust will be helpful to you in presenting our point of view.

My question of privilege is that the document mentioned in the letter is not included in the sessional paper and I state that it is part of the documents which were asked for and tabled in the house on Friday, January 3. I therefore ask that it be supplied and attached to the document.

Hon. Alvin Hamilton (Minister of Northern Affairs and National Resources):

Mr. Speaker, the document referred to by the hon. member for Gloucester is a private document that was circulated to certain of my colleagues. It was concerned with basic Conservative policy on development, with application to the Atlantic provinces. A copy was shown to the premier of the province of New Brunswick. My department advises me that they did not consider it as part of their records, and since it was not used in the department it is not part of the documents requested by the hon. member for Gloucester.

Mr. Robichaud:

Mr. Speaker, in view of the minister's remarks, I may state that the comments-

Mr. Speaker:

Order. This is not the time for a statement. If the hon. member has any motion to make I would think he could do so. I am doubtful that it is a proper question of privilege. I would think the hon. member can secure relief by moving a motion for the production of the missing paper. In that way it would be settled whether or not the document ought to be produced.

Hon. George H. Hees (Minister of Transport):

On Saturday the hon. member for Laurier (Mr. Chevrier) asked me the following question, as reported at page 2842 of Hansard:

Can the minister tell us whether the inquiry undertaken by the board ot transport commissioners into the equalization of freight rates across Canada was taken into consideration in the recent order of the board increasing freight rates by 3.6 per cent?

The board of transport commissioners has advised me that the inquiry into the equalization of freight rates was taken into consideration in its judgment and order dated December 27, 1957, authorizing increases in freight rates.

Mr. H. R. Argue (Assiniboia):

Mr. Speaker, I should like to direct a supplementary question arising out of the minister's statement regarding the equalization of freight rates. Can the minister give the house some idea of when we may expect this important study to be completed since, as the minister knows, it will soon be six years since the board was instructed or advised by the royal commission on freight rates to instigate such a study?

Mr. Hees:

No, I do not know when the

study will be completed.

Mr. Argue:

Would the minister be prepared to make inquiry and let the public of this country know whether or not within a few months the inquiry can be completed, or whether it may take another six years?

Mr. Hees:

I shall be very glad to do

that.