Right Hon. L. B. Pearson (Prime Minister):

Mr. Speaker, the United States government has already indicated its willingness to accept at once the Secretary General's proposal that the fighting stop and peace negotiations begin. That proposal which would have brought the war to an end and have instituted a cease fire was rejected by the government of North Viet Nam.

The Secretary General made an additional proposal to which my hon. friend has referred, that unilateral action be taken by one side-in this case that could only be the United States and the South Vietnamese side-that the fighting stop on one side irrespective of action taken on the other side. This proposal is no doubt being discussed by the Secretary General during his present trip to Asia.

The Secretary of State for External Affairs expects to see the Secretary General next week in London when he will be discussing this whole matter with him, including the proposal to which my hon. friend refers. I should add that the Secretary of State for External Affairs tells me the meeting may not be in London, but he will be seeing the Secretary General shortly.

Mr. Douglas:

I have a supplementary question, Mr. Speaker. In view of the fact that the Secretary General has again made an appeal for a unilateral cease fire, which he has repeatedly said would be applied only if the other side did not fire on United States forces, do I take it that the Canadian government is not yet prepared to support this appeal to the government of the United States?

Mr. Pearson:

Mr. Speaker, any proposal to bring about an end to hostilities certainly will be considered by this government. As I have said, the Secretary of State for External Affairs will be discussing this matter with the Secretary General of the United Nations following his visit to London next week.

Right Hon. J. G. Diefenbaker (Leader of the Opposition):

Mr. Speaker, in view of the widespread feeling on the part of Canadians

that there should be a pause in the bombing in Viet Nam, may I now ask the Prime Minister a supplementary question? Will he reconsider the decision he made some months ago and have placed before the House of Commons a resolution so that Canada can speak with unity on this subject, and so that Canada's position will be clearly understood?

Mr. Pearson:

Mr. Speaker, the committee on external affairs is meeting at the present time, and this matter could be discussed before that committee. I cannot think any useful purpose would be served at this moment by putting such a resolution on the order paper.

Mr. Diefenbaker:

Mr. Speaker, would the Prime Minister then suggest that the Secretary of State for External Affairs make known the view of this house, which seems to be fairly general, in a clear and definite statement instead of leaving the equivocal uncertainties which exist in this connection?

Mr. Pearson:

I take it that the right hon. gentleman is referring to his own view that the bombing should be stopped and no action taken concerning the infiltrations from the north into the south. That is not the position of this government. The position of this government is that the war should stop and that there should be a cease fire at once.

Mr. Real Caouette (Villeneuve):

Mr. Speaker, my question is directed to the Minister of Forestry and Rural Development, who is responsible for ARDA.

Did the minister have any talks with northwestern Quebec organizations with a view to proceeding to the development of the James Bay area, where tremendous resources could be developed if only ARDA assistance were available.

Hon. Maurice Sauve (Minister of Forestry and Rural Development):

Under federalprovincial agreements, Mr. Speaker, organizations in northwestern Quebec should discuss this matter with the provincial minister responsible for ARDA, not with the federal minister.

April 14, 1967

Mr. A. B. Patterson (Fraser Valley):

Mr. Speaker, I should like to direct this question to the right hon. Prime Minister. When replying to a question raised by the hon. member for New Westminster a few days ago the Prime Minister indicated that the officials had been instructed to look into the question of the flood danger in the lower Fraser valley. I wonder whether the Prime Minister has had a report on this situation, and whether he could make a statement to the house at this time.

Right Hon. L. B. Pearson (Prime Minister):

Yes, Mr. Speaker; I have had a report from the officials and experts to the effect that it is too early to reach any conclusion concerning whether there is going to be really dangerous flooding in the Fraser valley, but that we should certainly be on the alert because this could happen. We have advised the provincial authorities who are in daily touch with the situation that the federal government will help in every possible way if this danger should materialize, and that we will be ready to meet any reasonable request for assistance in this regard.

Mr. Joseph P. O'Keefe (Si. John's Easi):

Mr. Speaker, my question is addressed to the Minister of Manpower and Immigration. Can the minister inform the house what steps have been taken or what measures are contemplated to assist the residents of Bell Island in Newfoundland as a result of the sudden closing of the DOSCO iron mines?