What they said when they were in the opposition is not what they are saying now, and I find this very disturbing.
In fact, they all voted against the amendment I proposed to eliminate all distinctions between lobbyists. I do not understand the Liberal's retreat from their own position and the promises they made during the election campaign. What was not acceptable two years ago is still unacceptable today. Witnesses made this clear to the members of the committee that examined Bill C-43. A lobbyist is a lobbyist, whether they belong to the first, second or third tier. That is why Bill C-43 should provide for only one tier for all lobbyists in Canada.
I imagine this position was not palatable to the lobbyists and the financial backers of the Liberal Party. That is probably the only explanation we have for the current flexible conscience we note among government members.
Another flaw in this bill is its disclosure provisions. Here again, I proposed amending the bill to oblige lobbyists to disclose their real business, the real facts we could then investigate, so that we could see what is going on in this government.
The scandal surrounding Toronto's Pearson airport has amply demonstrated the lax nature of the current disclosure rules. The privatization contract, it will be remembered, was signed in the middle of the 1993 federal election campaign and an inquiry was instituted to shed light on the transaction. The Nixon report was submitted to government on November 29, 1993 and revealed misconduct on the part of the lobbyists, public servants and political assistants. However, the report raised a number of other questions to which we have not obtained answers: Who were the lobbyists who failed to comply with the most elementary rules of ethics? When did these events occur? In what way were their actions either illegal or improper? Bill C-43 will still not give us the answer to these questions.
I see that my time will be interrupted for question period.