1. What was the total financial contribution of the National Capital Commission and/or the Ministry of State for Urban Affairs towards the

(a) development (b) printing (c) distribution of the booklet Hull 1800-1975?

2. Is it the policy of the Minister of State for Urban Affairs to provide funds to similarly commemorate centennial years or other commemorative occasions of municipalities and, if not, for what reason were these public funds provided on behalf of Hull?

Mr. Bruce Halliday (Oxford):

Madam Speaker, daily for the last five days the matter of the 100 per cent increase in the levy on industrial milk producers for powdered milk has been raised in this House. During those five days the Minister of Agriculture (Mr. Whelan) chose to answer the question on one occasion and either refused to answer on other occasions or was missing from the House. I should like to document very briefly those five occasions.

In the first instance my colleague, the hon. member for Joliette (Mr. LaSalle), asked the minister about this on July 22. The minister acknowledged he had received briefs from certain farm organizations and that they contained some suggestions worthy of consideration. On the following day my same colleague, the hon. member for Joliette, tried to move a motion under Standing Order 43 which would have required this House to debate the issue. This was turned down by government members.

On the following day, July 24, the hon. member for Frontenac-Lennox and Addington (Mr. Alkenbrack), also a colleague of mine, raised the same question, and this time it was answered by the Acting Minister of Agriculture who said he would take it as notice.

On July 25, in private members' hour, a motion was brought forward by the hon. member for Richmond (Mr. Beaudoin) suggesting that there should be an investigation by the government of industrial milk producers. This motion was talked out by the government so that it could not come to a vote.

Finally, for the fifth day the question was again raised by the hon. member for Hastings (Mr. Ellis), and the Minister of Agriculture (Mr. Whelan) chose not to answer it because he had answered it previously. On the second occasion I tried to ask a question, but Mr. Speaker turned me down because it had been asked previously.

I want to conclude by asking three questions which the parliamentary secretary can answer, I think, in his three minutes without difficulty. But before I do so I want to allude first of all to his rather extensive speech on the occasion of a private member's motion last Friday. It seemed to me that he began to speak in a confident manner. I should like to quote him from page 7959 of Hansard when he said the following:

I should like to clear up the situation with regard to the dairy policy.

This seemed to be a final statement once and for all. Then he went on to describe how the minister, in consultation with the Canadian Dairy Commission and the

Adjournment Debate

Canadian dairy farmers, had come up with a price adjustment formula which gave rise to the figure of $11.2 to underwrite the cost of industrial milk in Canada as of last April 1. Then he went on to discuss the export situation and how the price in Canada had been affected by the fact that subsidies by European governments had lowered the cost of powdered milk from abroad to a point where we in Canada were in difficulty in trying to make sales.

Once again the parliamentary secretary went on as follows, as recorded at page 7960 of Hansard:-

You know our department is much interested in exportation. We always tried to find new markets for Canadian products.

Then the parliamentary secretary went on to discuss the problem of the decreasing number of producers of industrial milk. He described how the number of farmers producing industrial milk had gone down but said that this was compensated for by the fact that new farmers were coming in as well as farmers' sons who were taking on the job. He alluded to the fact that productivity and efficiency had gone up, and he illustrated this by saying that there was a 16 per cent increase since 1971-1972 in the amount of milk produced by industrial milk producers. He did not say that the reward these producers received for their increased efficiency and productivity was a cut back of between $1,500 and $2,500 on the basis of this new levy, or a 100 per cent increase on industrial milk.

Finally, the parliamentary secretary concluded his speech in a grandiose and incredible manner with the following sentences as recorded at page 7961 of Hansard, as follows:

The government has been committed for a long time in the development of a comprehensive and long-term dairy policy. We have fulfilled our task completely. It is now up to the industry to assume its responsibility and to contribute to the success of the dairy policy.

I would like to close by asking the following three questions: first, what specific attempts have been made by the government to expand exports of Canadian powdered milk? Second, acknowledging the financial bind in which young dairy farmers now find themselves, having committed themselves to bank loans based on the $11.2 price promised them in April and taken away on July 1, what help will the government give these farmers? Third, since the parliamentary secretary has said the Department of Agriculture has fulfilled its task completely, is it then refusing to accept the challenge of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture to try to develop a policy of funding for export products that will provide stability to industrial milk producers?

Mr. Bruce Halliday (Oxford):

Mr. Speaker, I have a question for the Minister of Agriculture. It relates and may be supplementary to the question asked by the hon. member for Hastings, which the minister chose not to answer. I will try to word the question in a way that will merit an answer. With regard to the 100 per cent increase in the levy on industrial milk, does the minister have any plans to help relieve the pressure on the industrial milk producer who is in debt to the bank for considerable sums of money, thus threatening his livelihood on the farm? I ask that with regard to the short-term view. In a longterm view, when will the minister be developing a policy to help stabilize the return on industrial milk over the long run?

1. Was a grant under the Student Community Services Programme of the Department of the Secretary of State approved for Project No. OLG2040 as submitted by Information Oxford and, if so, was the local Member of Parliament notified and on what date?

2. Is it government policy that notice of approval of such grants is made to the Secretary of the local Liberal Association and not to the local Member of Parliament and, if not, did an official of the office of the Secretary of State telephone the Secretary of the Oxford Liberal Association on or about May 29, 1975, to make the initial announcement of the grant?

Mr. Bruce Halliday (Oxford):

Mr. Speaker, I have a supplementary question for the Minister of Transport of which he has had notice. With reference to the loss of the Trans West helicopter some five or six weeks ago and in view of the virtual lack of communication between the Department of National Defence, the Department of Transport and the families concerned, can the minister inform the House whether his department has initiated any investigation into this accident, and, if so, when it began and approximately when we might expect to have a report on it?