Mr. Real Caouette (Villeneuve):

Mr. Speaker, according to the news, those immigrants will have an extremely difficult time crossing the British boundary.

Can the hon. minister tell us whether those thousands of Asiatics coming from Africa will have easier access to Canada?

Mr. Marchand:

Mr. Speaker, I do not intend to change the rules of immigration. Our rules must apply to Kenya just as they do, without discrimination, to all the countries in the world; should there be an unusually large number of applications, we will organize special teams of officials to process those requests as they are submitted just as we do in the case of other countries.

Mr. Andrew Brewin (Greenwood):

Mr. Speaker, might I further ask the Minister of Manpower and Immigration if in view of the circumstances now prevailing in Kenya these special teams will be sent out very soon, and not in some fairly distant future?

Mr. Marchand:

Mr. Speaker, up to now, there has been no material increase in the number of applications for immigration to Canada. We have had an office for some time in Beirut and as soon as we find that a sufficient number of applications have been submitted-after all, we are not going to send special invitations to immigrants-we shall set up the teams I mentioned earlier.

February 29, 1968

Mr. Brewin:

I have a further supplementary question, Mr. Speaker. Would the minister, without waiting for applications, consider whether there is not a clear indication now of the need for a special team to interview would-be applicants in Kenya, to deal with the present emergency?

Mr. Eldon M. Woolliams (Bow River):

Mr. Speaker, may I ask a supplementary question. In view of the minister's statement in this regard today, have the minister or the government given any consideration to date to the admittance of Asians from Kenya to Canada within the terms of reference of his last policy statement, in which the emphasis allegedly is based on skill; or, in the alternative, to admit some of these people in cooperation with other commonwealth nations on more compassionate grounds?

Mr. Marchand:

Mr. Speaker, the new immigration regulations and our restrictive criteria are extremely flexible and take into account the particular circumstances now prevailing in Kenya.

Mr. Woolliams:

I have a further supplementary question, Mr. Speaker. Since almost 7 per cent of the labour force in Canada is unemployed at this time, has consideration been given to this fact in working out any plan with other commonwealth nations or with the nation in question?

Mr. Marchand:

Mr. Speaker, our selection criteria also take into account the employment situation in Canada.

Mr. Frank Howard (Skeena):

My question is supplementary, Mr. Speaker. In view of the statement of the minister that he may set up special teams if the need is required, may I ask him whether he will also consider doing something to deal with the large backlog of applications which exist in so far as Hong Kong is concerned.

Mr. Marchand:

Mr. Speaker, the Hong Kong situation is improving. There are also problems in India and Portugal, but we are applying the selection criteria that have been approved by the government and that the members of this house know very well. As of

Inquiries of the Ministry now, we can accept into Canada a number of immigrants which I think can easily be absorbed, and obviously we must take into consideration the absorption limits of the country's population.

Mr. Raymond Langlois (Meganiic):

Mr. Speaker, I should like to put a supplementary question to the hon. Minister of Manpower and Immigration. Before undertaking such an immigration program, will his department get in touch with the provinces in order to know to what extent they can absorb that immigration, in view of the employment situation prevailing at the present time in various areas of the country?

Mr. Marchand:

Mr. Speaker, I think that I have indicated that we have not changed our immigration policy and that we have no intention of doing so.

Hon. George Hees (Northumberland):

Mr. Speaker, I should like to direct this question to the Minister of Finance. Is it the intention of the government to pay off the Expo deficit, which is now estimated to be somewhere between $200 million and $250 million, by the means of selling government bonds or out of general taxation?

Mr. Speaker:

Order. I suggest to the hon.

member that the question is not one of apparent urgency. I wonder whether it is not too general in nature to ask now.

Mr. Starr:

Just $250 million.

Mr. Hees:

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker, it seems to me that this is a very important matter, especially in view of the fact that at the present time the government wishes to raise additional money through taxation. It would seem to me that a matter of a quarter of a billion dollars is important at this time.

Hon. Mitchell Sharp (Minister of Finance):

Mr. Speaker, if I may be permitted to reply I should like to say that I think the hon. gentleman understands that the paying of the Expo deficit will not require the raising of any additional money. That has already been financed.

February 29, 1968

Inquiries of the Ministry PUBLIC SERVICE