Mr. Stanfield:

In view of the fact that this is quite a different subject matter from the annual report of the commission which was referred to the committee yesterday, may I ask the President of the Treasury Board whether it is not the view of the government that an alleged statement of this sort is sufficiently serious that the government, in this case perhaps the President of the Treasury Board, ought to conduct an inquiry to satisfy itself concerning the nature of these remarks in view of their effect upon the public service and its morale?

Mr. Drury:

Mr. Speaker, I agree with the hon. gentleman that the chairman of the Public Service Commission should have an opportunity to explain the circumstances about which the report has arisen. Hopefully this could be done on the occasion of his appearance before the committee.

Can we,

therefore, be assured that the terms of reference which were agreed to yesterday by the House in regard to the Public Service Commission's annual report are sufficiently broad to permit us to question the chairman on the remarks he has made about corruptible slobs?

Mr. Drury:

I do not want to speak for the chairman of the committee, but I will undertake to have a word with him to make sure that the assumption the hon. gentleman has just made is in fact verified.

25316-53}

Inquiries of the Ministry

Mr. Stanley Knowles (Winnipeg North Centre):

Mr. Speaker, in view of the fact it may be a few days before that committee meets, will the President of the Treasury Board on behalf of the government disown forthwith this reference to public servants as corruptible slobs?

Hon. C. M. Drury (President of the Treasury Board):

Mr. Speaker, I have no hesitation whatsoever in saying that it is not the view of the government that the public service is composed of corruptible slobs.

Mr. Baldwin:

We had better stop him from reading the Prime Minister's speeches.

How about the minister being one?

Mr. Speaker:

Order, please. The hon. member for York South.

Mr. Lewis:

I do not have a supplementary question, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker:

Perhaps the hon. member for Lambton-Kent, who has a supplementary question, might be given the floor now and then I will recognize the hon. member for York South.

Mr. Mac T. McCutcheon (Lambton-Kent):

Mr. Speaker, may I direct my supplementary question to the President of the Treasury Board. Can the minister assure the House that the Standing Committee on Miscellaneous Estimates will be free of the interference and inhibition implied yesterday by the hon. member for Grenville-Carleton to have been the case last year in regard to that committee?

Hon. C. M. Drury (President of the Treasury Board):

think that the assumption on which the question is based is not justified; consequently the question becomes hypothetical.

Mr. David Lewis (York South):

Mr. Speaker, I have a question for the Minister of Communications on a subject on which I have asked him questions formerly. In view of the fact that the increase in Bell Telephone rates came into force today, I want to ask the minister whether he has completed the study of this matter which was considered by the Canadian Transport Commission-he said he was making a study some time ago-and whether he has made a report to the cabinet asking for action to be

taken to stop this totally unjustified gouging of the public?

Hon. Robert Stanbury (Minister of Communications):

Mr. Speaker, I could not reach a conclusion as readily as the hon. member seems to be able to. I am still awaiting the report to which he refers. He may have heard the same news report as I did, that a citizen has apparently taken steps to obtain a judicial review of this decision, as is the right of any citizen, including the hon. member.

Mr. Howard (Skeena):

Or the responsibility of the government.