Grant Hill

[Sponsorship Program, February 23rd, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister started by blaming Gagliano. Next, he started to blame those individuals from the former prime minister. Now, he is blaming heads of crown corporations.

Does the Prime Minister really think we will believe that there was no Liberal implication in this scandal?

[Sponsorship Program, February 23rd, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, the government last week refused to suspend the heads of crown corporations. “Wait for the public inquiry,” was the message into this scandal. We now hear the Prime Minister is considering changing his mind and he is actually thinking of this.

What new information has come to light to cause him to change his mind on this important issue in a week?

[Sponsorship Program, February 19th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, we hear the terms of reference are really going to be quite broad, but we know it would take an army of lawyers to have the truth on this out before I retire back to my home in Okotoks.

This question is very specific. Will the government promise Canadians that they will have the truth before we go to the polls in the next election?

[Sponsorship Program, February 19th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, the government actually is acting like it has a one goal lead and there are five minutes left in the third period. It is dragging its feet in the public accounts committee and it looks like it is going to drag its feet as well on the inquiry.

Will the Prime Minister let us know whether or not we will have a result before the next election is called, yes or no?

[Sponsorship Program, February 19th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, faster than a speeding bullet, that is what they say about Superman, but that is certainly not what they say about public inquiries in Canada. The average length for a public inquiry is about two years.

Has the government, has the Prime Minister, put a deadline on this public inquiry into the Liberal sponsorship scandal?

[Sponsorship Program, February 18th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, I am certain that the Canadian public is going to be happy with an answer like that to the taxpayers' funding that they have taken away.

To another specific question. The Treasury Board minutes, those minutes that discussed this issue, will they be released when the public accounts committee asks for those minutes?

[Sponsorship Program, February 18th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, I guess it is very interesting who will determine what is pertinent.

To my specific question now. There was an ad hoc communications committee. On that committee: will those secret documents be released to the public accounts committee?

[Sponsorship Program, February 18th, 2004]

Notice the word “pertinent”, Mr. Speaker.

A more specific question: will the documents--

[Sponsorship Program, February 18th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, Rob Walsh, the parliamentary legal counsel, says that secret cabinet documents can be released only to the public accounts committee. That is the committee charged with looking at the Liberal sponsorship scandal. My question is for the Prime Minister. When it asks, will he release those secret cabinet documents?

[Sponsorship Program, February 17th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, still no answer to the question of why the Prime Minister has not asked his individual cabinet ministers what they knew and when they knew it.

Here is another thing the Prime Minister has done. He said that some Quebec ministers knew about this scandal. By saying that, he paints every single one of them with the same brush. Which Quebec ministers knew about this scandal?