Paul Calandra

[Ethics, June 8th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, that is a New Democratic Party that owes three times as much as the Auditor General has apparently identified in the Senate, $2.7 million.

That is an NDP member who in the last election went to his constituents and said that he would vote to cancel the long gun registry then came to this place, broke his word to his constituents and voted to maintain it. He now supports a leader of the opposition who wants to bring that back.

When it comes to accountability and ethics, the member has nothing to talk about.

[Ethics, June 8th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, of course we understand that the NDP has absolutely no respect for the Canadian constitution and it actually has no respect for the Canadian taxpayer.

If they had respect for the Canadian taxpayer, the New Democrats would be able to look at themselves and say that they have used $2.7 million of taxpayer resources inappropriately, and they would pay it back. However, they are refusing to do that to the point where they are going to have to go to court. Sixty-eight of them will be squeezed into the defendant's box all summer explaining to their constituents why they refuse to pay them back the money they owe them.

[Ethics, June 8th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, the senator has already answered that question.

However, the question that has not been answered is why 68 members of the NDP caucus participated in a scheme, hatched by the Leader of the Opposition, to take money out of the ridings of various members of Parliament and funnel it to an illegal politically partisan office in Montreal.

If reports are to be understood, the Senate expenses are about $1 million. The NDP owes $2.7 million to the Canadian taxpayers. If it is wrong for the Senate, and when taxpayer money is abused it is wrong, then it is also wrong for these 68 members of Parliament to refuse to pay taxpayers back.

[Ethics, June 8th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, the Senate will respond to the Auditor General's report tomorrow.

What is very clear is that the member who talks about ethics in the Senate owes the Canadian taxpayers $27,111, part of a $2.7 million bill that 68 members of the NDP owe the people of Canada. The member is refusing to pay the residents in her community back, just as all the other 67 members of the NDP caucus have. What they should do is look at their constituents and pay them back the $2.7 million they owe them.

[Ethics, June 8th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, as I have said on a number of occasions, it was the Senate that invited the Auditor General to review the expenses of senators. What we understand is this. When one makes a mistake, if it is a deliberate mistake, one should pay it back.

Of course the NDP's mistake was not deliberate. It set out a scheme that was hatched in the office of the Leader of the Opposition to take money out of the ridings of the different members of Parliament to the tune of $2.7 million. The NDP members have been ordered to pay that back to their constituents, and they refuse to do that. Instead, they will be spending the summer in court explaining to Canadians why they refuse to pay them back the $2.7 million they owe them. They should just pay it back.

[Ethics, June 8th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, as everyone in the House knows, it was the Senate that invited the Auditor General in to examine all of their expenses. We anxiously await tomorrow's report. I hope the Senate will respond immediately.

[Ethics, June 8th, 2015]

Again, Mr. Speaker, as you know, it was the Senate that invited the Auditor General in to examine all of their expenses. The report is due tomorrow. We anxiously await this report and the response from the Senate.

[Ethics, June 8th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, Senator Housakos has already answered that question.

At the same time, it was the Senate that actually invited in the Auditor General to review all of their expenses, and we anxiously await their report and the Senate's response tomorrow.

[Mining Industry, June 5th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the question from the hon. member. Again, if he will meet with me after question period, I would be delighted to look into this matter for him.

[Ethics, June 5th, 2015]

Again, Mr. Speaker, nothing could be further from the truth. The only person who has done enabling is the actual Leader of the Opposition, who hatched a scheme out of the office of the Leader of the Opposition to take funds of the Canadian taxpayers, funds meant for 68 members' ridings, and funnel them to an illegal office in Montreal. Now they owe the taxpayers $2.7 million. They are refusing to pay that money back. I hope they will do the right thing and pay back the taxpayers.

Do not spend your summer in court defending why it is that you refuse to pay them back. Just simply pay the taxpayer back.