Mr. Adrien Lambert (Bellechasse):

Mr. Speaker, my question is directed to the hon. Minister of Agriculture.

According to our information, the Maple Lodge corporation of Toronto has requested and obtained an additional import permit of over 1,760,000 pounds of poultry for 1979. Could the Minister of Agriculture confirm this and advise the House whether he will continue to allow chicken imports permits to be issued by the Minister of Industry, Trade and Commerce?

Mr. Adrien Lambert (Bellechasse):

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a supplementary. In allotting the quotas, a certain percentage was set for Ontario, another for Quebec and so on for the

Oral Questions

other parts of the country. In this regard, does the minister know that the Ontario company, Maple Lodge, has flooded the Quebec poultry market with part of the quota allotted to Ontario, so much so that it could lead to the withdrawal of Quebec from the Canadian Chicken Marketing Agency? In addition, could the minister take steps to protect Quebec producers who are on the brink of bankruptcy, which will result in financial difficulties for Quebec slaughterhouses?

Mr. Adrien Lambert (Bellechasse):

Mr. Speaker, under the provisions of Standing Order 43, I ask for the unanimous consent of the House to move a motion dealing with a very important matter.

Considering that the Canadian Chicken Marketing Agency has announced that under a Canada-United States agreement the import quota of American poultry was 22,250 tons this year and that it would be doubled next year, considering that the Minister of Industry, Trade and Commerce is issuing additional import permits and that Ontario has invaded the Quebec market with its quota, following the Quebec threat to withdraw for those reasons from the Canadian Chicken Marketing Agency, I move, seconded for the hon. member for Beauce (Mr. Roy):

That the House urge the government to renegotiate the Canada-United States agreement of October 22, to protect the interests of Canadian producers as well as Canadian slaughterhouses.

On March 31, 1979, what was the total number of married women holding jobs in Canada and what was their average weekly income?

On March 31, 1979, what was the average income of Canadian families?

December 11, 1979

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