Hon. Mitchell Sharp (Secretary of State for External Affairs):

Mr. Speaker, I will inquire from the members of the delegation and answer that question when I have the information.

Hon. Paul Hellyer (Trinity):

Mr. Speaker, can the Secretary of State for External Affairs advise the House whether or not there are any Canadians or Canadian residents who have been trained by the Palestinian Liberation Front at the guerilla school in Lebanon, the school where those persons responsible for the terrible tragedy at Tel Aviv airport were trained?

Hon. Mitchell Sharp (Secretary of State for External Affairs):

Mr. Speaker, I do not know the answer to that question, and I do not know whether I will be able to get the information because I do not think those people publicize their activities.

Mr. Hellyer:

Would the minister inquire of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and advise the House whether they have any knowledge of Canadians or Canadian residents who were trained in Lebanon in that school?

Mr. Sharp:

Mr. Speaker, I hesitate to give that undertaking because it may be that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police will consider that it is not in the public interest nor in the interest of the security of Canada to reveal any information that they possess.

Mr. Frank Howard (Skeena):

Mr. Speaker, my question is directed to the Minister of National Health and Welfare. When does he expect to make an announcement with respect to the report of the Le Dain Commission on marijuana?

Hon. John C. Munro (Minister of National Health and Welfare):

Mr. Speaker, I cannot announce a specific time except to advise the hon. member that we are studying the report and rushing the matter as quickly as possible. I hope to be in a position soon to make recommendations to my colleagues in the government. However, I cannot say precisely when that will be.

Mr. Howard (Skeena):

Is the minister aware that every day's delay is instrumental in attracting more and more young people to attempt to use marijuana because of the semi-endorsement that was given by the Le Dain Commission when it suggested that use of marijuana be permitted by law and that there is great need to clear up the situation?

Mr. Speaker:

Order, please. I suggest that the hon. member has made a representation. The hon. member for Brandon-Souris.

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

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Postmaster General and arises from the setting up of the special mail service between Calgary and Edmonton by the province of Alberta with a resultant annual saving of $100,000 compared with the cost of the service formerly provided by the Post Office Department. When will the minister announce to the House the improvements in service that he referred to in his recent speech at Vancouver?

Hon. Jean-Pierre Cote (Postmaster General):

Mr. Speaker, following the press release put out by the government of Alberta regarding savings of up to $100,000 a year by using a courier service, we made inquiries and found that our postal service between Edmonton and Calgary is excellent. Assured mail delivery works at 98 per cent efficiency. We have four trucks that travel daily between the two cities. The facts are that the different Alberta government departments were hiring different couriers to transport their mail between the two cities. The government has now decided to reorganize and hire the services of only one courier. Therefore we will not lose any business. It is just a matter of reorganization within the Alberta government.

June 5, 1972

Mr. Dinsdale:

Has the Postmaster General approached the province of Alberta offering improved service to the province between Calgary and Edmonton and, in particular, has he offered the restoration of the six days a week mail delivery service?

Mr. Cote (Longueuil):

No, Mr. Speaker, but I know the service provided by the courier is only a four days a week service. Our officials have met with the Alberta government and it is true, it is a four days a week service they now have. My officials met with the Alberta government officials to determine ways in which the Post Office can help them meet their actual and future requirements. The Alberta officials have shown interest in the service we can offer them.

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

Mr. Speaker, I wish to direct my question to the Secretary of State for External Affairs. What progress is being made as far as extradition arrangements between Canada and Cuba are concerned relative to aircraft hijackers?

Hon. Mitchell Sharp (Secretary of State ior External Affairs):

Mr. Speaker, the negotiations are still under way. It had been our hope that they would be concluded shortly. I will have to find out just what their state is at the moment. I know that an official draft is in the course of negotiation between the two countries.