Has the Department of National Defence decided to permit the use of the pasture area at the Suffield research station to be used as a community pasture in the coming year?

Hon. Leo Cadieux (Minister of National Defence):

No. Any decision to permit the use of pasture at the defence research establishment Suffield is dependent upon the declaration of an emergency drought situation, and subject also to the nature of usage for defence purposes in progress at such time.

1. Under what authority are forms forwarded by the Dominion Bureau of Statistics for completion by various companies in Canada?

2. What penalties are involved if a form is not completed, and for non-compliance with instructions and under what authority?

3. What guarantee is provided by D.B.S. to a company to keep information confidential?

Mr. Jean-Charles Cantin (Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Trade and Commerce):

1. The Dominion Bureau of Statistics collects information from companies, establishments, organizations and individuals, compiles and publishes the resulting data, under the authority of the Statistics Act, chapter 257, Revised Statutes of Canada, 1952.

Questions

In addition, the dominion statistician is responsible for the administration of the Corporations and Labour Unions Returns Act, chapter 26, 10-11 Elizabeth II which came into force on January 1, 1963. Under this act certain corporations and labour unions are required to supply the dominion statistician with financial and other information.

2. Under the Statistics Act, section 35, every person who, without lawful excuse, refuses or neglects to answer, or wilfully answers falsely, any question requisite for obtaining any information sought in respect of the objects of the act is guilty of an offence and is liable, upon summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding one hundred dollars or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months or to both fine and imprisonment.

Under the Corporations and Labour Unions Returns Act, section 6(1), every corporation that fails to file with the dominion statistician a return for a reporting period as and when required, is guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding fifty dollars for each day of such default. Where a corporation is guilty of an offence, every officer, director or agent of the corporation who directed, authorized, assented to or acquiesced in or participated in the offence is a party to and guilty of the offence and is liable on summary conviction to the above fine for the offence or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months, or to both such fine and imprisonment, whether or not the corporation has been prosecuted or convicted therefor.

3. Under the Statistics Act, Section 6, every officer, census commissioner, enumerator, agent and other person employed in the execution of any duty under this act must take and subscribe an oath, swearing that he or she will not disclose or make known any matter which comes to his knowledge by reason of his employment.

Under Section 15, no individual return and no part of an individual return made, and no answer to any question put, shall, without previous consent in writing of the person or the owner for the time being of the undertaking, be published, nor, except for the purposes of a prosecution under this act, shall any person, other than a person employed by the bureau, or working under arrangement with the bureau and sworn under the above-mentioned oath, be permitted to see any such individual return, part or answer. In addition,

December 20, 1967

Questions

no report, summary of statistics or other publication under the Statistics Act shall contain any of the particulars comprised in any individual return so arranged as to enable any person to identify any of the particulars as relating to any individual person or business. Returns of carriers or public utilities, hospitals, institutions, libraries and universities are exempt from the secrecy provision except returns of a financial nature or where an individual patient or other person might be identified.

Under the Corporations and Labour Unions Returns Act, financial and certain other information is privileged and is available only to an official or authorized person employed for specified purposes. If any such person, including any person formerly employed, contravenes the secrecy section of the act, section 14(7), he or she is guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars or imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months, or both such fine and imprisonment.

Is the Department of Transport considering making an amendment to the appropriate air regulations to enable a Canadian citizen to purchase a registered Canadian aircraft for use in Canada and permit him to have the privilege of taking possession of the aircraft immediately that the bill of sale has been duly signed, witnessed, and dated, and commence to operate it for a period of 15 days without the need for any documentation or permission being necessary from the Department of Transport?

Mr. J. A. Byrne (Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Transport):

Yes, civil aviation officials have had under study for some time proposed legislation which would amend current regulations relating to aircraft ownership and registration.

New regulatory procedures, as a matter of priority, are planned to be introduced early in 1968, and will permit the continuing use of an aircraft while change of ownership and registration is being effected.

Will the Minister of National Health and Welfare undertake a survey to determine the effects on workers, of long term exposure to high concentrations of sulphur dioxide fumes at the International Nickel Company plant in the Sudbury district?

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

The Department of National Health and Welfare would assist the provincial government, if requested, in conducting a survey of this type.

1. Has the Department of Transport considered providing all-weather electrical outlets for automobile plug-in use at the Saskatoon airport (a) for DOT staff members and other airport employees (b) for the general public?

2. If not, what are the reasons for non-provision of this service?

3. If so, when will these plug-ins be made available?

Mr. J. A. Byrne (Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Transport):

1. (a) Yes. (b) No.

2. (b) No practical means are available for control and recovery of capital and operating costs by the department for outlets provided in public parking areas.

3. (a) The installation of outlets, for use of persons employed at the airport, is proposed in conjunction with the plans for extension of parking facilities for which funds are presently included in the 1968/69 capital estimates.

1. What methods of investigation are used to investigate instances of oil pollution in Halifax harbour?

2. Who carries out such investigations?

3. What possible sources of oil pollution are checked, and how often?

4. Have the investigators found instances of oil pollution for which they could not specify the sources?

Mr. J. A. Byrne (Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Transport):

1 and 2. Pursuant to the oil pollution regulations which are administered by the Department of Transport, upon learning of the presence of oil on the harbour waters, a steamship inspector of the Department of Transport goes to the scene and takes samples of the polluting oil and endeavours, visually and by considering the effects of winds and currents and the statements of any known witness, to trace the source. If there is a possibility of its being a ship, he visits the ship, inspects

December 20, 1967

its oil record book, its pumping equipment, overboard discharges, engine room and bilges, takes samples of oil and questions crew members. The various oil samples are analysed by commercial analysts.

3. Ships. Oil record books are checked upon arrival. Spot checks are carried out thereafter.

4. yes.

What are the figures for the importation of tobacco from the Republic of South Africa into Canada during each of the last five years?