Mr. Dufresne:

Mr. Chairman, the hon. member for St. Henry (Mr. Bonnier), whom I have seen rise for the first time since I have sat in this house, just made a discovery. He imformed us that masses were being said in Montreal beginning at five o'clock in the morning and also in the evening. It is the same in other cities of the province of Quebec and there is nothing new in that.

Just now, we are considering the position of post office employees in Montreal. We are here to represent those who work in the various departments of the federal government and what I said about the post office employees of Montreal applies also to the electors I have the honour to represent and all those who work for the federal government.

I am quite willing to concern myself with the business of my electors. I have been doing that for the past four years. The hon. member for St. Henry could have risen more often. It might have been his best opportunity to prove that he was looking after the interests of the electors of Montreal.

Mr. Dufresne:

Mr. Chairman, last week I had occasion to point out to the Postmaster General (Mr. Lapointe) what I termed an injustice being committed in Montreal and which was to come into effect last week, that is to say last Sunday, March 10. The day after my intervention, the Montreal newspaper La Presse gave a fairly substantial account of the orders issued by the Montreal postmaster.

Convinced as I then was, and still am, that the minister was quite unaware of the decision taken, I should like to ask him this afternoon if he has instructed the Montreal postmaster to keep granting postal employees the time previously allowed them for the purpose of attending mass on Sundays, and on feast days of obligation when they are required to work.

Could the minister answer my question?

Mr. Dufresne:

Mr. Chairman, I thank the minister for being a little more precise than he had been and I conclude that from now on post office employees in Montreal will be permitted to take the time necessary to attend religious services provided at the end of their day's work they put in the time taken for religious services.

Mr. Dufresne:

At any rate, let us understand each other. Whenever I have to seek information on religious matters, I shall try to get it from the religious authorities or from my parish priest, instead of listening to rather fanciful explanations of the hon. member for Cochrane.

Mr. Dufresne:

That is quite ridiculous. The minister's statement does not stand up. It is impossible to give an employee permission to do what he wants outside his working hours. That is his exclusive privilege, whether it be before or after his working hours. I said "during his working hours." If such is the minister's statement, it means that there is nothing changed in the instructions given by the Post Office Department in Montreal and which the minister himself seems to confirm here this afternoon. It means that, from now on post office employees in Montreal, who were entitled to and granted three quarters of an hour of their working time to attend religious services on Sundays and feast days of obligation will no longer have that privilege following the minister's statement.