Mr. Hales:

Tell us about the Unemployment Insurance Act.

Mr. A. D. Hales (Wellington):

Mr. Speaker, I should like to direct a question to the Minister of Manpower and Immigration who is responsible for the administration of the Government Annuities Act. On behalf of thousands of Canadians who bought government annuities in good faith for their retirement hoping that they would be a good investment but who now find that because of inflation it is one of the poorest investments they could have made, I should like to ask the minister whether he is giving consideration to amending the act so that the government will no longer be able to use that invested money at the ridiculously low rate of 4 per cent? If the government will not agree to do that, will they give permission to the holders of government annuities to transfer them to some other registered retirement savings plan that will give them a good return on their investment?

Mr. A. D. Hales (Wellington):

Mr. Speaker, my question is directed to the Minister of Manpower and Immigration, the minister responsible for the operation of the Local Initiatives and Opportunities for Youth programs. In view of the very serious observations the Auditor General made in his last report that both these programs have had serious weaknesses in their administration, a lack of accounting records, and in some cases fraudulent and irregular procedures, what steps is the minister taking to make sure that the Canadian taxpayers' money is going to be spent properly and will be properly accounted for?

[Mr. Turner (Ottawa-Carleton).J

Mr. A. D. Hales (Wellington):

Mr. Speaker, I wish to direct a supplementary question to the Minister of Agriculture. In view of the fact that grade A Hereford steers sold on Friday for as low as 38 cents a pound, and that there are many signs of discrepancies which indicate that the beef subsidy is not getting back to the producers, would the minister withdraw this program and let cattle trade in a free, open market until he comes up with a better system?

1. How many Immigration counsels operate at the International Airport, Toronto?

2. What are the qualifications of these counsels and how were they appointed?

3. (a) What are the fees charged by these counsels (b) are they paid in advance (c) are receipts issued?

4. How do they make contact with the incoming visitors?

5. How is the fee charged for these services established?

6. Who polices their activities?