Mr. Gerard Duquet (Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Transport):

Mr. Speaker, I take this question as notice and I will relay it to the minister. I would simply say that according to the information I could get this morning, the reports in the Globe and Mail are greatly exaggerated.

Mr. Alexander:

I shall ask the parliamentary secretary another question which he may wish to take as notice. In view of the fact the minister assured the citizens of Hamilton and all interested parties that public meetings would be held pending the final disposition of the matter, can the parliamentary secretary advise whether in fact such a meeting or meetings have been lined up and when they will occur?

Mr. Duquet:

I will take this question as notice, Mr. Speaker.

June 16, 1972

Mr. Alexander:

I have one last supplementary, Mr. Speaker. I might as well get this all on the record so that I can follow it up on Monday. In light of reports indicating that land acquisition for the airport expansion will begin very shortly and that construction is due to begin before the end of this year, can the parliamentary secretary advise whether such speculation is correct and, in any event, will he immediately contact the mayor of the city of Hamilton in order-

Mr. Speaker:

Order, please. That question is out of order. The hon. member is inviting the parliamentary secretary to comment on what he himself calls speculation. Certainly a question in those terms is out of order.

Mr. Alexander:

I rise on a point of order, Mr. Speaker. In view of the fact the minister is not here today even though under the roster system he is supposed to be here, and in light of the fact that this matter is extremely important to the city of Hamilton and other interested persons, I thought I would lay the whole matter before the parliamentary secretary so he could advise the minister that I will be following up the matter, on Monday.

Mr. Speaker:

Order, please. That has nothing to do with a point of order. The hon. member has asked three questions. I suggested to him that the third question was out of order, and it will not be more in order on Monday.

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

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Postmaster General. Now that the Council of Postal Unions has placed a demand before the Post Office and Treasury Board negotiating team calling for a 14 per cent pay boost and a 35-hour week for its

24,000 workers, will the Postmaster General be making a progress report to Parliament on the matter?

Hon. Jean-Pierre Cote (Postmaster General):

Mr. Speaker, I do not know where the hon. member has obtained the figures or the requests made by the unions. I was not aware they had been published. I have absolutely nothing to add except that I hope that the meetings concerning negotiation will take place more frequently from now on.

Mr. Dinsdale:

In view of the strong opposition on the part of the postal unions, to the regional pay proposals, will the government be withdrawing this part of its package of proposals from the current negotiations?

Mr. Cote (Longueuil):

That is a question that has to be discussed at the bargaining table, Mr. Speaker. I think that we will have to change our position and that the union will likely have to change its own.

Inquiries of the Ministry

Mr. Dinsdale:

Is it the intention of the government to use the services of the special negotiators from the Department of Labour in order to facilitate an early settlement of this important matter?

Mr. Cote (Longueuil):

We are ready, Mr. Speaker, to take all necessary means to reach an agreement as soon as possible, but it is exceedingly important, I believe, to hold meetings where negotiations could be carried on.

Mr. Rod Thomson (Battleford-Kindersley):

Mr. Speaker, my question is directed to the Minister of Industry, Trade and Commerce. Has Panarctic joined the consortium formed recently to build the Mackenzie Valley pipeline, or will the government be encouraging it to do so?

Hon. Iean-Luc Pepin (Minister oi Industry, Trade and Commerce):

Mr. Speaker, I will bring that question to the attention of the Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources. I have not followed recent developments.

Mr. Eldon M. Woolliams (Calgary North):

Mr. Speaker, I have a supplementary question which I should like to put to the Acting Prime Minister. As there is much mystery and secrecy about this new pipeline, would the Acting Prime Minister advise us whether a special bill will be brought before the House with reference to this consortium, setting out what kind of Canadian participation and how much Canadian control we will have in this new pipeline, or is a licence just going to be granted under the pipeline legislation on the statute books?