Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for this opportunity to provide him with answers on issues which seem to concern him a great deal. I certainly did not use a government aircraft. In fact, I always avoid doing so, for financial reasons.
When in Los Angeles, I had no contacts with Canadian private interests trying to conclude a transaction to take over MGM. True, I did go to Universal studios with officials from MGM, Disney, Sony and Motion Picture Association of America, including its president, Jack Valenti. The purpose of my visit was strictly to explore possibilities with the heads of these American majors. Neither the agenda of this meeting, nor the discussions which I had with these American studios had anything to do with a transaction which I did not know about.