Mr. Robert C. Coates (Cumberland):

Mr. Speaker, I have a question for the Acting Prime Minister. Is the hon. gentleman now in a position to answer the question I raised yesterday, when I asked whether the government would give consideration to referring the special study on transportation in the Atlantic provinces to a committee of the house?

Hon. Paul Martin (Acting Prime Minister):

Mr. Speaker, I can say that we will give consideration to that.

Mr. Thomas M. Bell (Saint John-Alberi):

Mr. Speaker, I have a supplementary question on the same matter for the house leader. In his duties as over-all chief of committees has the house leader had a chance to consider the proposition which was made yesterday that the transportation committee visit the maritimes, as it did the west, so as to look over the serious transportation problems there? I ask this question knowing the minister's great interest in the maritimes.

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for adding the designation "over-all chief of committees" to my responsibilities. I will be very glad to give consideration to any move of the committee that would bring it to the Atlantic provinces.

Mr. L. M. Brand (Saskatoon):

Mr. Speaker, I have a question for the Minister of National Health and Welfare. In view of the tremendous importance of the experimental work in the field of neurosurgery being carried out by Dr. Gordon Murray of Toronto, and in view of his recent disclosure of the serious shortage of funds necessary to carry

November 22, 1967

on this very important work, has the government any plans to see that the necessary funds and facilities are made available to this distinguished Canadian surgeon?

Mr. Speaker:

Order. This question very closely resembles one asked by the hon. member for Simcoe East the other day, and I do not think it can be asked at this time.

Mr. Brand:

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker, with all deference I would hesitate to question your judgment in this regard, but I submit that this is a new question in that I am asking for the provision of funds in view of the disclosure made yesterday by Dr. Murray.

Mr. Speaker:

If the hon. member is right the matter might be discussed at the time of adjournment.

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

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the hon. member for Burnaby-Coquitlam asked me a question that he had put to one of my colleagues a day or two earlier in connection with an application for assistance that was made to the adjustment assistance board by employees of Perfect Circle Company Limited of Don Mills.

I am pleased to be able to assure the hon. member and other members that this application has been referred to the board and will be dealt with at their sitting which opens on December 1. If the application is approved the workers will be eligible for transitional assistance benefits from the date of lay-off; in other words the assistance will be retroactive. In the meantime those employees who are entitled to unemployment insurance will get it in the usual way.

Mr. T. C. Douglas (Burnaby-Coquitlam):

Mr. Speaker, I thank the minister for the promptness of his reply, but may I ask him this question. If the hearings are held early in December at what date will the retroactive payments likely be made?

Mr. Nicholson:

Mr. Speaker, I can only say that this particular board, which is chaired by an experienced chairman, acts very promptly.

Inquiries of the Ministry COPPER-PRICE INCREASE BY NORANDA COMPANY

On the orders of the day:

Hon. Jean-Luc Pepin (Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources):

Mr. Speaker, questions have been asked in recent days about the action taken by Noranda mines re the price of copper, and I have some information to give on this subject.

At the request of the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Trade and Commerce, officials of the Department of Trade and Commerce were in touch with Noranda earlier today. The company announces that effective today until further notice the domestic price of 51 cents Canadian replaces the E. and M. J. based price of 50.96 cents Canadian, which price has applied since Monday. E. and M. J. means New York Engineering and Mining Journal, Mr. Speaker. This, and the assurances given to officials, indicates that the company will not be applying the formula announced earlier which would have led to a much higher price in December and subsequently.