I am sorry, Mr. Speaker. Duhaime added that the location of the inn in the Prime Minister's Saint-Maurice riding undoubtedly helped him to get the loans for the expansion and get them fast. He further claimed that he applied for federal loans after his local caisse populaire credit union even declined to finance the expansion.
Duhaime's company already had a heavy debtload from building a previous addition to the hotel that included a large banquet hall.
The money flow from the Prime Minister's former property did not stop with Industry Canada or Canada Economic Development. According to internal Human Resources Development documents Duhaime also received $188,799 from five grant programs during the 1997-98 fiscal year. These grants included $164,000 from the transitional jobs fund program, $10,350 from local labour market partnerships, $9,293 from youth internships, $4,356 from the targeted wage subsidies program and $800 from summer career placements.
Who is Yvon Duhaime and what qualified his company to obtain so much cash? He failed to follow the Business Development Bank rules by not disclosing some of his personal records on the BDC's application form which clearly states that applicants list information about those same personal records on which his application could have been denied.
I am not saying that we should not forgive those who have made mistakes in the past. I am not saying that they should be excluded from government programs to which they are legitimately entitled. However Duhaime's past problems certainly point to someone less than credible in seeking financial support. Duhaime has since claimed the expansion to be a profitable success.
From my own professional experience I know how useful it is to check with contractors to determine a project's success. One local contractor on the Auberge Grand-Mere expansion filed a business lien against the property in July 1998, claiming that he was owed $172,000 by Duhaime's company for work completed in the spring of 1998. While Duhaime has since reduced the debt to $47,953, according to recent land registry documents the contractor filed legal notice on January 7, 1999. The contractor states that if he is not paid within 60 days he will ask the sheriff to seize the Auberge Grand-Mere property and to sell it at an auction to recover his own debt.
Mr. Duhaime, a man who does not follow application requirements, is assisted by the Prime Minister's riding office and then gets over $840,000 in loans and grants. Will the Prime Minister answer questions on this matter? No, he will not. Can the ethics counsellor investigate? Yes, he can but he reports in secret to the very person he potentially investigates. This must change.
Thankfully my colleague from Markham was successful yesterday in getting the industry committee to summon the ethics counsellor for questioning. He did so after much difficulty from the government members and indifference from Reform, NDP and Bloc members. We should not have to fight tooth and nail to get information from the ethics counsellor. He should be an independent officer of parliament, accountable to all. He should have a public code of ethics for the Prime Minister and all cabinet ministers.
On behalf of the Progressive Conservative caucus I support Motion No. P-31 and I urge all hon. member to do likewise.