Debates of Sept. 28th, 2005
House of Commons Hansard #127 of the 38th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was public.
Topics
- Question Period
- Jacqueline Perry
- Autism
- Young Liberals' Convention
- Anne-Marie Alonzo
- Polio
- Agriculture
- Ovarian Cancer
- 41st Quebec Summer Games
- National Highway System
- Income Trusts
- Charity Barbecue
- Governor General of Canada
- Home Heating Costs
- Des outils pour la vie Project
- Gasoline Taxes
- Coquitlam's Flaunt Your Frenchness campaign
- David Dingwall
- Justice
- Gasoline Prices
- David Dingwall
- Technology Partnerships Canada
- Gasoline Prices
- Criminal Code
- Gasoline Prices
- Official Languages Act
- Government of Canada
- Electoral Reform
- Government Contracts
- Income Trusts
- Royal Canadian Mint
- Foreign Affairs
- Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
- The Environment
- Public Works and Government Services Canada
- Grants and Contributions
- Sponsorship Program
- Broadcasting
- Chuck Cadman
- Privilege
- Point of Order
- Aeronautics Act
- Canada Elections Act
- Criminal Code
- Petitions
- Questions on the Order Paper
- Motions for Papers
- Request For Emergency Debate
- Committees of the House
- Criminal Code
- Wage Earner Protection Program Act
- Criminal Code
- Treaties Act
- Age of Consent
- Criminal Code
- Income Tax Act
Gasoline Prices
Oral Questions
2:25 p.m.
Bloc
Gilles Duceppe Laurier, QC
Mr. Speaker, I will let that comment pass.
Taxi drivers are also being hit by the spike in gas prices. In order to mitigate this situation, the Bloc Québécois has proposed a tax credit, much like the one already introduced by the Government of Quebec.
Will the Prime Minister promise to do his part and move forward with this measure that would greatly help taxi drivers? Perhaps there is a parliamentary secretary who has already thought of that as well. Then he should say so and we will support him.
Gasoline Prices
Oral Questions
2:25 p.m.
Wascana
Saskatchewan
Liberal
Ralph Goodale Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, of course in the case of all small businesses there is a full rebate of the GST that operates through the normal GST system.
I am interested that the leader of the Bloc Québécois says that he has been on this and various other issues for the past three years. I would point out that the report filed in this House by the member for Pickering—Scarborough East is dated June 1998, so he has been on this issue for a lot longer.
Gasoline Prices
Oral Questions
2:25 p.m.
Bloc
Paul Crête Rivière-Du-Loup—Montmagny, QC
Mr. Speaker, I hope the government will not wait another two years before implementing the solutions proposed by the Bloc Québécois. People need these initiatives now. One of these measures would create a tax credit for independent truckers equal to 6% of their operating costs.
Will the government finally acknowledge that this is a serious problem and act on our proposal?
Gasoline Prices
Oral Questions
2:25 p.m.
Wascana
Saskatchewan
Liberal
Ralph Goodale Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, the government is looking at all the ways in which to deal with the situation fairly and in the public interest, including transparency and competitiveness in the marketplace. This includes actions related to energy conservation and energy efficiency, and also measures that will try, as well as we can, to assist with the burden on the lowest income people in the country.
Gasoline Prices
Oral Questions
2:25 p.m.
Bloc
Paul Crête Rivière-Du-Loup—Montmagny, QC
Mr. Speaker, the increase is also affecting people who live in remote areas far from major urban centres and who must travel long distances in order to access services and go to work.
Does the government intend to implement another of the Bloc Québécois' solutions and ensure more people qualify for the current tax deduction of $3.75 per day for individuals in very remote regions? Will the government do the right thing for people in the regions who are suffering from the effects of the increase in gasoline prices?
Gasoline Prices
Oral Questions
2:30 p.m.
Wascana
Saskatchewan
Liberal
Ralph Goodale Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, the Government of Canada will take into account the very best interests of all Canadians, wherever they may be in this wonderful country.
David Dingwall
Oral Questions
September 28th, 2005 / 2:30 p.m.
NDP
Jack Layton Toronto—Danforth, ON
Mr. Speaker, last year, David Dingwall, a former colleague of the Prime Minister in the Chrétien cabinet, spent over $1 million of taxpayers' money. He has resigned, and good riddance. However, the problem goes much further than Mr. Dingwall.
What happened? After the spendthrift ways of André Ouellet at Canada Post, why did the Prime Minister do nothing to stop wasteful spending by his old cronies?
David Dingwall
Oral Questions
2:30 p.m.
LaSalle—Émard
Québec
Liberal
Paul Martin Prime Minister
Mr. Speaker, I have already answered that question, but I will answer it again.
As I just said, Mr. Dingwall has dedicated his life to the public service. He has been a member of Parliament and a minister and, until today, President of the Royal Canadian Mint. He has just resigned, at a time when the Mint is making a profit. He has just resigned, in part so that he can respond to these allegations.
David Dingwall
Oral Questions
2:30 p.m.
NDP
Jack Layton Toronto—Danforth, ON
Mr. Speaker, Mr. Dingwall has redefined the whole concept of loose change, that is for sure.
Let us look at the facts. The Prime Minister has not tightened the rules, even after David Dingwall lobbied the government when he was an unregistered lobbyist. Every penny wasted by David Dingwall happened on the Prime Minister's watch. Even after André Ouellet resigned from Canada Post, no rules were changed whatsoever. I guess the deal is: do not get caught.
Ten million dollars went to the Prime Minister's friends over at Earnscliffe, and then he appointed more friends to the Senate. Is this muck really Jean Chrétien's fault?
David Dingwall
Oral Questions
2:30 p.m.
Winnipeg South
Manitoba
Liberal
Reg Alcock President of the Treasury Board and Minister responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board
Mr. Speaker, I simply point out to the hon. member that he might want to go back to last spring and read the report that we tabled in the House and the new instructions to the crown corporations on how they handle their governance in these matters. Each one of them has appointed an audit committee, has strengthened their internal audit functions and the overall policy has been described as leading corporate governance in the country.
David Dingwall
Oral Questions
2:30 p.m.
Conservative
Brian Pallister Portage—Lisgar, MB
Mr. Speaker, in 2004, Liberal patronage appointee David Dingwall spent over three-quarters of a million dollars on numerous lavish dinners, excessive international travel, a free car and a swanky limousine, and let us not forget the exclusive golf club to which taxpayers paid for him to belong.
The Prime Minister cannot defend this unbelievable further episode in the Liberal pork opera that his administration has become. By becoming an apologist for Mr. Dingwall and condoning this misconduct, when will he admit that he is encouraging more of the same?
David Dingwall
Oral Questions
2:30 p.m.
Winnipeg South
Manitoba
Liberal
Reg Alcock President of the Treasury Board and Minister responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board
Mr. Speaker, I encourage the member to be a little cautious in the words that he uses. Every expense that Mr. Dingwall incurred was reported to his board and was consistent with the guidelines. The corporation that he heads does not receive taxpayer funding. In fact, the corporation that he heads and that he turned around so it reported a profit pays a dividend to the Government of Canada.
David Dingwall
Oral Questions
2:30 p.m.
Conservative
Brian Pallister Portage—Lisgar, MB
Mr. Speaker, I thought former porkmaster general André Ouellet, who spent $2 million of taxpayer money without receipt, was the prince of pork, but the new undisputed king of swining and dining is absolutely David Dingwall.
The Prime Minister seems totally incapable of reining in the profligate spending of he and his colleagues and this is just the lastest in a serious of blatant abuses perpetrated by the government against Canadian taxpayers. Dingwall's spending spree took place under the Prime Minister's watch. When did he know or is he going to use the wilful blindness defence again?
David Dingwall
Oral Questions
2:30 p.m.
Winnipeg South
Manitoba
Liberal
Reg Alcock President of the Treasury Board and Minister responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board
Mr. Speaker, the way that member accounts for things, I could take his office and travel expenses and I could say he is a $600,000 member.
The reality is every expense that was incurred was incurred within the policy of the Mint, was vetted by its senior financial officer and was approved by its board. If he thinks there is something improper there, he should write to the Mint, take it outside of the House and have this discussion with Mr. Dingwall who is now free to do so.
Technology Partnerships Canada
Oral Questions
2:35 p.m.
Conservative
James Rajotte Edmonton—Leduc, AB
Mr. Speaker, here is something more about former minister David Dingwall. It had been reported that he had received $350,000 to help Bioniche obtain a grant through Technology Partnerships Canada. This is expressly forbidden by the government's own rules.
Yesterday we learned, however, that Bioniche has in fact paid back $460,000 to the government for violating its agreement. That is more than $100,000 difference.
Will the industry minister come clean on this issue and tell us how much money was paid to that former Liberal cabinet minister?