Mr. Speaker, it has been well documented that the defence minister gave his campaign pals over $150,000 in questionable public contracts out of his ministerial budget. Stephanos Karabekos, one of his campaigners, received $100,000 to help soothe feelings in the Greek community in the minister's Don Valley East riding.
Instead of coming clean with Canadians, the minister and the Prime Minister have chosen to defend this patronage saying that it was really good value for the money. It was good value for his money, but the Canadian taxpayers are paying the bill.
How can the defence minister justify doling out thousands of dollars in public contracts specifically and explicitly to his former campaign workers?