Debates of March 31st, 2004
House of Commons Hansard #33 of the 37th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was tax.
Topics
- David Strangway
- Volunteer Emergency Workers
- Insurance Industry
- Arts and Culture
- User Fees Act
- Gertrude Crosbie
- Wilbert Keon
- Diane Descôteaux
- New Horizons Program
- Salvation Army International Staff Band
- Kyoto Protocol
- Violence Against Women
- Employment Insurance
- House of Commons
- Government Appointments
- The Prime Minister
- Sponsorship Program
- National Defence
- Sponsorship Program
- Health
- The Budget
- Government Expenditures
- The Budget
- Foreign Affairs
- Canada Elections Act
- Employment Insurance
- Supreme Court of Canada
- National Security
- Employment Insurance
- Agriculture
- Presence in Gallery
- Message from the Senate
- The Budget
- Ways and Means
- Employment Insurance Program
- Older Adult Justice Act
- Chief Electoral Officer's Report
- Sponsorship Program
- Government On-Line
- Government Response to Petitions
- Public Service Commission
- Budget Implementation Act, 2004
- Tlicho Land Claims and Self-Government Act
- National Security
- Committees of the House
- Housing Bill of Rights
- Public Service Employment Act
- Committees of the House
- Petitions
- Questions on the Order Paper
- Motions for Papers
- Canada Elections Act
- Income Tax Act
The Prime Minister
Oral Question Period
2:25 p.m.
The Speaker
Order, please. The hon. member for Pictou—Antigonish—Guysborough has the floor.
The Prime Minister
Oral Question Period
2:25 p.m.
Progressive Conservative
Peter MacKay Pictou—Antigonish—Guysborough, NS
Mr. Speaker, it must be springtime. It sounds like there are a lot of bulls in rutting season over there.
The Prime Minister is not going to stand there and lecture me about broken promises, the author of the red book, the man who promised to get rid of the GST, the man who promised--
The Prime Minister
Oral Question Period
2:25 p.m.
Some hon. members
Oh, oh.
The Prime Minister
Oral Question Period
2:25 p.m.
The Speaker
Order, please. The caucus meetings this morning must have been very exciting. Perhaps we could all calm down a little so we can hear the questions and the answers. The Speaker cannot hear. Nobody can hear. The hon. member for Pictou—Antigonish—Guysborough has the floor for a question. We will forget the rest of the preamble and go to the question.
The Prime Minister
Oral Question Period
2:25 p.m.
Progressive Conservative
Peter MacKay Pictou—Antigonish—Guysborough, NS
Mr. Speaker, the captain of CSL seems a bit testy here in the House today about his own record. Talking about broken promises, this is the author of the red book, imagine that.
Canadians have to be asking themselves today: the sultan of Shawinigan or the captain of CSL corruption. I cannot tell the difference. Can you see the difference, Mr. Speaker?
The Prime Minister
Oral Question Period
2:25 p.m.
LaSalle—Émard
Québec
Liberal
Paul Martin Prime Minister
Mr. Speaker, it is not necessary for me to lecture the hon. member on broken promises. The fact is there is a former Prime Minister of Canada who is relegated off to the corner, whose heart is broken because the great party of Sir John A. Macdonald has had its heart ripped out of it because that hon. member broke his word.
Members do not need my word for it. Ask the Conservative senators in the Senate. Ask the former Prime Minister of Canada why he is sitting over there. He is doing it because that member has no principles.
The Prime Minister
Oral Question Period
2:25 p.m.
Some hon. members
Sheila, Sheila.
The Prime Minister
Oral Question Period
2:25 p.m.
Some hon. members
Oh, oh.
The Prime Minister
Oral Question Period
2:30 p.m.
The Speaker
Order, please. We will now try to hear a question. The hon. member for Laurier—Sainte-Marie
Sponsorship Program
Oral Question Period
March 31st, 2004 / 2:30 p.m.
Bloc
Gilles Duceppe Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC
Mr. Speaker, on February 18, the Prime Minister stated that he had obtained all the necessary assurances from his ministers about their integrity. Since then, the actions of the President of the Privy Council have been called into question on several occasions. Apparently he was in frequent contact with Pierre Tremblay, the director of the sponsorship program, and interfered in the awarding of a contract to Everest.
Can the Prime Minister tell us whether or not he asked the President of the Privy Council if he exerted pressure in favour of Everest, as was written in black and white in an e-mail dated March 17, 2000?
Sponsorship Program
Oral Question Period
2:30 p.m.
LaSalle—Émard
Québec
Liberal
Paul Martin Prime Minister
Mr. Speaker, the President of the Privy Council has already told the House that, when he was the Minister of State responsible for Amateur Sport, he had responsibilities, and he talked about them to Mr. Tremblay.
Sponsorship Program
Oral Question Period
2:30 p.m.
Bloc
Gilles Duceppe Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister probably did not understand the question or does not want to understand it. I asked him a question about an e-mail, which stated, “The company I want is Everest”.
Has he already asked him about this? I would like him to answer, instead of making comments about transparency and talking about the democratic deficit that he embodies to a T.
He should stand up and tell the House whether or not he asked the President of the Privy Council, who continued to defend the sponsorships, if in June 2002, he was involved in this scandal like others, such as the Minister of Health did in the HRDC scandal in the past.
Sponsorship Program
Oral Question Period
2:30 p.m.
Brossard—La Prairie
Québec
Liberal
Jacques Saada Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister responsible for Democratic Reform
Mr. Speaker, did the Leader of the Bloc Quebecois ask the Parti Quebecois government to conduct an investigation into the Oxygène 9 scandal? Not once. Did he ask that government to conduct an investigation into the SGF scandal? Not once. Did he ask that government to conduct an investigation into the LeHir and the Conseil de la souveraineté scandals? Not once. The Bloc is in no position to ask questions about integrity.
Sponsorship Program
Oral Question Period
2:30 p.m.
Bloc
Michel Gauthier Roberval, QC
Mr. Speaker, money was stolen to this degree in just one parliament in all of Canada: this Parliament here. And here is where the questions are being asked.
Last week, Huguette Tremblay confirmed before the Standing Committee on Public Accounts that the President of Privy Council was the one with the most contact with Mr. Guité, apart from Alfonso Gagliano.
Has the Prime Minister, who is supposed to have investigated his ministers, asked the President of Privy Council what explanation he had for having been identified as the one with the most contact, apart from—
Sponsorship Program
Oral Question Period
2:30 p.m.
The Speaker
The hon. Leader of the Government in the House of Commons.