House of Commons Hansard #14 of the 36th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was liberal.
Jean Chrétien LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, we all argue that it is better to vote for your party than to vote for another party. I never asked my electors in my riding to vote for the NDP. They always lost their deposit.
Alexa McDonough NDP Halifax, NS
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Prime Minister's Office confirmed this government has no plan to extend, renew or replace the TAGS program. This will condemn thousands of families to continuing poverty and hardship. Even longtime Liberal backbench MP Russell MacLellan admits the Liberal cuts have been excessive and brutal. Will the Prime Minister give his word today that fishing families and others reeling from excessive and brutal Liberal cuts to Atlantic Canada will not continue to get short shrift?
Jean Chrétien LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, yesterday in this House I defended the TAGS program very strongly despite the fact that the opposition Reform Party blamed us for giving money to people who could not fish. The program is to be terminated next year because it is a program with a deadline. We are now reviewing the situation to see what can be done under the circumstances that will prevail next year.
We defended the program—
Atlantic CanadaOral Question Period
The Speaker
The hon. member for Pictou—Antigonish—Guysborough.
Peter MacKay Progressive Conservative Pictou—Antigonish—Guysborough, NS
Mr. Speaker, it was earlier confirmed that a search warrant was executed at the Liberal Party headquarters in Montreal.
We now have an indication from an officer of the court in Montreal that the RCMP issued a search warrant on or about June 12, 1997, this time at 400 Place d'Youville where the regional minister's office is located.
My question is for the President of the Treasury Board. Was this search warrant executed at his ministerial office?
Marcel Massé LiberalPresident of the Treasury Board and Minister responsible for Infrastructure
Mr. Speaker, I think the question is entirely irrelevant.
The RCMP may have executed a search warrant but no employee of my staff is under investigation at present. That is the end of it.
The Conservative Party is merely trying to deflect the implication of Pierre Corbeil who happens to be the brother of an ex-Conservative minister.
André Bachand Progressive Conservative Richmond—Arthabaska, QC
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to inform the minister and give him the number. It is 500-26-007787-974. I give it to him for his information.
Can the minister confirm that he will do everything necessary to assure himself that no member of the Montreal office has had contact with an individual under investigation by the name of Pierre Corbeil? This is very important. The government's integrity is being questioned.
Marcel Massé LiberalPresident of the Treasury Board and Minister responsible for Infrastructure
Mr. Speaker, an investigation is under way at the present time, as everyone knows.
An individual named Pierre Corbeil is being investigated at this time. I called Jacques Roy of my office this morning and he told me that he had no knowledge of any investigation whatsoever being carried out on himself. At this time, no one in my office is under investigation.
The Conservative Party ought simply to allow the investigation to run its course.
Monte Solberg Reform Medicine Hat, AB
Mr. Speaker, timing is everything. The government is now suggesting that the human resources development minister is some kind of a boy scout because he called the police on this fund-raising extortion scandal. Would a boy scout sneak through $3 million to the prime minister's riding just 24 hours before he called the police?
My question is for the Minister of Human Resources Development. When the prime minister was lobbying him, when he was saying “show me the money”, where were his boy scout ethics then?
Rcmp InvestigationsOral Question Period
Papineau—Saint-Denis Québec
Liberal
Pierre Pettigrew LiberalMinister of Human Resources Development
Mr. Speaker, I am outraged at this kind of behaviour. This is why Canadians are disappointed.
Pierre Pettigrew Liberal Papineau—Saint-Denis, QC
I am treated as a boy scout. Someone who has done his duty and called in the police is now being told that this is the behaviour of a boy scout. These people think we are boy scouts when do our duty with integrity.
This is not correct. The prime minister has never lobbied or influenced me. Good projects are part of the role of a good member of Parliament.
Monte Solberg Reform Medicine Hat, AB
Mr. Speaker, no doubt that will win a lot of points with the boss.
What an amazing coincidence. We are starting to see how corrupt the government and its transitional jobs fund are. RCMP affidavits say that top Liberal bagman Pierre Corbeil told companies that if they did not pay the Liberals big time he could nix the grant request, but if they paid in cash with fake invoices he could seal the deal.
When will the prime minister get to the bottom of this mess, or is it to the top?
Jean Chrétien LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, there is an ongoing investigation by the RCMP at this moment. If a crime was committed the individual who committed the crime will be prosecuted.
The Minister of Human Resources Development, within three hours of learning about the accusation, informed the RCMP in writing. The RCMP is doing its job. If somebody has committed a crime he will have to face justice and accept the decision of the court.
That is the system. The minister did exactly the right thing. He informed the RCMP. Let the RCMP do its work.
Gilles Duceppe Bloc Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the President of the Treasury Board.
First, will he tell us whether or not a search of his regional office in Montreal was carried out and, if so, how can he say there is no investigation going on?
Marcel Massé LiberalPresident of the Treasury Board and Minister responsible for Infrastructure
Mr. Speaker, the Bloc leader should get his facts straight and let the RCMP do its job.
According to my information, a warrant was issued but not executed. Why was the warrant issued but not executed? The answer lies with the RCMP. To their knowledge, there is currently nobody working for me who is under investigation.
The fact that the Bloc insists on mentioning names—
Rcmp InvestigationsOral Question Period
The Speaker
The hon. member for Laurier—Sainte-Marie.
Gilles Duceppe Bloc Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC
Mr. Speaker, will the President of the Treasury Board pledge to inform this House when a search is carried out, since a warrant was issued, as the minister himself acknowledged, will he pledge to state all the reasons why a warrant was issued to search his regional office, and why such a search was carried out?
Marcel Massé LiberalPresident of the Treasury Board and Minister responsible for Infrastructure
Mr. Speaker, when a warrant is issued, the reasons are stated on it.
I should not have to tell this to the Bloc leader. But he should know that such documents are part of an investigation. The investigation was requested by our own minister and we want to see it completed as soon as possible. We have a duty to let the police conduct its investigation, reach its conclusions and take whatever measures are appropriate.
Dick Harris Reform Prince George—Bulkley Valley, BC
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Liberals killed debate on the biggest tax grab in Canadian history. Now they are to appoint a bunch of political friends to manage over $100 billion of taxpayers' money. That is scary.
Will the Minister of Finance tell us today if his Liberal friends in the new Canada pension investment board will be subject to access to information guidelines? Yes or no.
Paul Martin LiberalMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, I would really suggest that members of the Reform Party hire better researchers. If they did, they would know that in terms of the investment board a nominating committee has been put together of members named by the provinces and the federal government. The nominating committee, in turn, will name an arm's length board of experts.
All the hon. member has to do, rather than standing here and making a bit of a dope of himself in the House of Commons, is a little research and he would understand what is going on.
Dick Harris Reform Prince George—Bulkley Valley, BC
Mr. Speaker, in case you did not get it, the answer was no. He also said to all of us “trust us”.
Canadians trusted the Liberals with the current pension plan and now it is in a $560 billion debt hole. Trust is simply not good enough.
Will the Minister of Finance display a real commitment to openness and transparency and say today that he will see that the new CPP investment board will in fact—
Paul Martin LiberalMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, I suggest to the hon. member that he might want to take a look at the legislation.
The board's deliberations will be public. It will report to Canadian contributors. It will be operating the same way as any other pension fund does. It will be an arm's length board from government. It will be subject to exactly the same rules as every other pension plan.
What more does the hon. member want?
Jocelyne Girard-Bujold Bloc Jonquière, QC
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Public Works.
Last Friday, the Minister of Public Works admitted that more than 35% of government contracts, totalling some $3 billion, were untendered. The day before last, the Auditor General of Canada gave the example of a department that achieved a 40% saving by systematically going out to public tender.
Given the party financing practices at the federal level—