Mrs. Grace Maclnnis (Vancouver-Kingsway):

Mr. Speaker, I should like to address

January 28, 1966 COMMONS

a question to the Minister of Finance. It concerns a large number of women who, because they are working outside the home, must employ household helpers. In view of the fact that these women are now required to pay the 1.8 per cent contribution to the Canada Pension Plan on behalf of persons they employ, is consideration being given to amending the Income Tax Act to make their wages a deductible expense for income tax purposes?

Hon. Miichell Sharp (Minister of Finance):

Mr. Speaker, I shall be very happy to take the hon. lady's suggestion into account when I am preparing the budget.

Mr. L. M. Brand (Saskatoon):

Mr. Speaker,

I should like to direct a question to the Secretary of State for External Affairs which arises from an answer he gave to the hon. member for Winnipeg South Centre on orders of the day yesterday. In response to that question with reference to assistance to South Viet Nam in the form of medical supplies and so forth, the minister stated in part:

We have had some discussions in this connection with the Red Cross.

It is my understanding that the International Red Cross do not recognize the Viet Nam war as a declared war and have not prior to this time extended their facilities to those engaged in this conflict. Does the minister's statement indicate that the substance of the discussions held have been an attempt to change the attitude of the Red Cross in this regard, or does it indicate that the attitude has already been changed?

Hon. Paul Martin (Secretary of Stale for External Affairs):

Mr. Speaker, we have had discussions with the Red Cross to see whether or not-

Mr. Speaker:

Order, please. In spite of the fact that the minister appears to be prepared to reply to this question, I am just wondering whether this is not the type of question, again, that might be placed on the order paper, in which case the hon. member will get his reply in due course.

DEBATES 377

Inquiries of the Ministry CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY

Mr. David Orlikow (Winnipeg North):

Mr. Speaker, may I direct a question to the Minister of National Health and Welfare and ask whether he is aware of the fact that the Canadian Pacific Railway has decided unilaterally that participation in its pension plan, which has hitherto been a condition of employment, will as of January 1, 1966 be entirely voluntary, and employees who drop out of the plan will not be able to re-enter it at any future time.

Hon. A. J. MacEachen (Minister of National Health and Welfare):

Mr. Speaker, it is my understanding that the revised plan to which my hon. friend refers is an entirely voluntary one.

Mr. Orlikow:

A supplementary question, Mr. Speaker. I should like to ask the minister whether, since employees who withdraw from the existing plan would only be covered by the Canada Pension Plan in the future, which is a situation contrary to the spirit contemplated in the drafting and planning of the Canada Pension Plan, the minister would consider using his good offices to persuade the C.P.R., which is one of Canada's largest employers, to rescind this unilateral decision.

Mr. MacEachen:

Mr. Speaker, as my hon. friend is aware, arrangements with respect to such pension plans are matters for negotiation between the parties involved, and there is no authority given to the minister under the Canada Pension Plan to intervene in any particular way in this matter.

Mr. Orlikow:

I have a further supplementary question. I wonder whether the minister knows that the company has up to now refused to negotiate on this matter.

Mr. Stanley Knowles (Winnipeg Norlh Centre):

Mr. Speaker, may I put a supplementary question on this matter to the Minister of Finance. Does he not think that the situation which has just been discussed between the hon. member for Winnipeg North and the Minister of National Health and Welfare makes urgent the legislation regulating the pensions of employees under federal labour jurisdiction?

Hon. Miichell Sharp (Minisler of Finance):

Yes, Mr. Speaker. In the reply I made to the hon. gentleman's question the other day I did

January 28, 1966

Inquiries of the Ministry not suggest that it was not urgent. I just suggested that it was a little less urgent than some of the other very urgent matters on the order paper, and therefore I could not give any undertaking that the legislation would be introduced immediately.

Mr. David Lewis (York South):

Last

Monday I asked the Minister of Transport some questions relating to the employees being displaced as a result of the cancellation of a number of Canadian Pacific passenger services. Toward the end of that part of the question period the minister said he would discuss it with his colleague, the Minister of Labour, and also said he would endeavour to get some information as quickly as possible. Will he or the Minister of Labour inform the house whether anything is being done to alleviate the circumstances of the Canadian Pacific employees thus displaced?

Hon. J. R. Nicholson (Minister of Labour):

Mr. Speaker, meetings have been held by me, with officials of my department in attendance, with representatives of the railway unions. I have also communicated with the railways, and will meet with some of its officials to discuss the matter on Tuesday and Wednesday of next week. Separate meetings have been arranged, following which there will probably be further meetings with representatives of the unions, and at an appropriate time I hope either the Minister of Transport or myself will have a report to give to the hon. member and other interested members in this house.