Hon. H. A. Olson (Minister of Agriculture):

Mr. Speaker, the farmers' union of Ontario has already had one meeting with the Minister of Agriculture and senior officials of the department. That meeting was held in August. There are three other groups also representing corn producers in southern Ontario who have requested a meeting. One meeting was held a few days ago and another will take place this Wednesday. Perhaps we will be able to hold another meeting with the F.U.O. regarding this problem before the end of this week, providing we have had the opportunity of hearing from other groups who legitimately claim they also represent Ontario corn producers.

Mr. W. B. Nesbitt (Oxford):

Mr. Speaker, this matter has been raised on several occasions, but I should like to ask the minister how soon he can make an announcement in the house as to the intentions of the government in respect of this very serious problem.

Mr. Olson:

I will consider an announcement as soon as the groups who in fact represent the various sections of the corn producing industry agree on what action the government ought to take.

Mr. Adrien Lambert (Bellechasse):

Mr. Speaker, I should like to address a question to the Minister of Agriculture.

Eastern Quebec farmers, especially in the riding of Bellechasse, have suffered heavy losses due to crop damage in 1967.

Has the Quebec government or any farm group made representations to the Minister of Agriculture so that financial assistance may be provided to the farmers involved, prior to

September 17, 1968

the coming into force of the Quebec Crop Insurance Act?

Hon. H. A. Olson (Minister of Agriculture):

Mr. Speaker, there have been many requests to the federal government during the past three years for what might be called special ad hoc assistance programs. For approximately the last three years the position of the federal government has been that it would participate in approved crop insurance programs to the extent of 50 per cent of administration costs and 25 per cent of premiums. It is very difficult to deviate from this program when the emphasis has been in that direction in order that we may have established crop insurance programs all over the country to deal with these problems as they arise.

Hon. W. G. Dinsdale (Brandon-Souris):

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Secretary of State. In view of the fact that Francois Dor-lot, the recipient of a Canada Council grant for study in France, has been linked with the Rossillon affair, and the strong stand taken by the Prime Minister on this subject, what action is the government taking in the matter?

Hon. Gerard Pelleiier (Secretary of State):

Mr. Speaker, we have been in touch with the Canada Council about that matter. It is true that the council has granted that student who, I am told, is very brilliant, upon his teachers' recommendation, a scholarship to write a thesis on a matter as far removed from contemporary politics as the waterway traffic in Canada around the 17th century. The Canada Council told us that it does not investigate the recipients' political beliefs and awards its scholarships according to the candidates' intellectual and academic qualifications.

Mr. Dinsdale:

Mr. Speaker, perhaps I should be more specific. What action will the government take to assure that Mr. Dorlot will not be one of Mr. Rossillon's secret agents to agitate among the French speaking minority upon his return to Canada?

Mr. Speaker:

Order.

Inquiries of the Ministry HARBOURS

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

Mr. Speaker, I have a question for the acting Minister of Transport, and may I express the hope that the minister's absence from the house will be only temporary. Will the National Harbours Board headquarters be moved from Ottawa to Montreal, and can the minister give any possible reason for this move?

Hon. James Richardson (Minister without Portfolio):

Mr. Speaker, in the absence from the house of the Minister of Transport I would like to reply to the hon. member. There is no plan to move the National Harbours Board from Ottawa to Montreal. However, the future use of the administration building at Expo is being studied, and it is possible that the management of the port of Montreal, which is part of the National Harbours Board system, will be moved to this building. It was for that reason that there was a misunderstanding and an inaccurate report in the press, but I emphasize that there is no thought at the present time of moving the headquarters from Ottawa.