January 17, 1956 (22nd Parliament, 3rd Session)

Hon. L. B. Pearson (Secretary of State for External Affairs):

Mr. Speaker, in reply to the question addressed yesterday by the hon. member for Esquimalt-Saanich (Mr. Pearkes) to my colleague the Minister of National Defence (Mr. Campney) concerning the ship Star of Assuan, I am informed that the Star of Assuan, which sailed from Halifax during
184 HOUSE OF
Inquiries of the Ministry the week end, carried the following mutual aid material and equipment for Turkey, Greece and Portugal:
36 world war II artillery tractors and spares for Turkey. These tractors are four-wheel drive trucks and do not carry guns.
32 4-7 naval guns with spares and ancillaries for Turkey.
Spares for electronic equipment and for aircraft for Turkey. Greece and Portugal.
These mutual aid items, which were made available by the Canadian government, were allocated by the standing group of NATO and were shipped on a bill of lading arranged in the usual way by the Canadian maritime commission on the Star of Assuan.
The whole matter constituted an entirely normal NATO arrangement for the provision by Canada of mutual aid to our allies Greece, Turkey and Portugal.
The ship also carried the three Harvard aircraft for Egypt to which I referred earlier.