House of Commons Hansard #235 of the 36th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was c-32.
Don Boudria LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member across the way will know that we went through a one year review process by a parliamentary committee. No recommendation of the kind that he is speaking of was ever made by his party or anyone else. Also I intend to table improvements to the electoral law very shortly in the House of Commons.
Bill Blaikie NDP Winnipeg—Transcona, MB
Mr. Speaker, the committee that the member talks about was not looking at electoral reform.
I asked the Prime Minister a decent policy question. He complains about mud slinging. I ask him a decent policy question and he does not get up on his feet. I am asking him now. This is a decent question. Will he set up a committee in the fall to look at electoral reform?
Jean Chrétien LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, we have a system that was established in Canada a long time ago. I know that for almost as long a time the NDP and its equivalent have tried to form a government and they have failed. As they cannot win with that system, they want another one. I think the one we have now has served Canada pretty well so far.
Jim Jones Progressive Conservative Markham, ON
Mr. Speaker, in the past five years Transelec Inc. gave $28,000 to the Liberal Party, on top of a $5,000 donation to the Prime Minister in 1993 and a $10,000 donation to the Prime Minister in 1997. Meanwhile Transelec president and part owner Claude Gauthier paid half a million dollars for land from the Prime Minister's numbered company. It comes as no surprise that Transelec got a $6.3 million CIDA contract at the expense of legitimate companies like Markham Electric.
Did the Prime Minister, his office or his agent intervene in any way to ensure that his pal was awarded the contract?
Diane Marleau LiberalMinister for International Cooperation and Minister responsible for Francophonie
Mr. Speaker, this contract was awarded according to the rules in place. An independent selection committee picked the winner of this contract. It was given based on the lowest price, $2.5 million lower than the next bid.
Members opposite have to stop with these innuendoes and accusations. They sully the name of parliamentarians who do their work honestly.
Jim Jones Progressive Conservative Markham, ON
Mr. Speaker, the longer the Prime Minister stays in office, the richer his friends become. He hides behind—
Government ContractsOral Question Period
The Speaker
Order, please. I want the hon. member to go directly to his question.
Jim Jones Progressive Conservative Markham, ON
Mr. Speaker, will the Prime Minister tell us if he is staying on for any other reason besides making it to the millennium and lining the pockets of his friends?
Chuck Strahl Reform Fraser Valley, BC
Mr. Speaker, what a happy coincidence that the lowest bidder on the CIDA contract happened to be the highest contributor to the Liberal campaign.
The Prime Minister justifies this incredible string of coincidences by saying that he is just trying to create jobs in his riding. In spite of his generous use of Canadian taxpayers money, the unemployment rate in that region has stagnated at more than 12% for the last five years.
Since it is obviously not jobs that the Prime Minister is creating, it seems the only thing that he is creating is increased donations to his elections funds. How does he explain that?
Jean Chrétien LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, it is very important for the member for Saint-Maurice to work for his constituents when the level of unemployment in his riding is so low.
The member should be ashamed to reproach a member of parliament who has been elected for a long time and who has always done his job. He is trying to destroy my reputation because I want the level of unemployment to go down in my riding as I would want for any riding, even the ridings of the people who are making those silly types of accusation because they have nothing else to say in the House of Commons.
Chuck Strahl Reform Fraser Valley, BC
Mr. Speaker, earth to the Prime Minister, the job he is doing in his riding is not working. There is 12% unemployment and it is staying there.
It appears that the Prime Minister has created a new expression which says “It is better to give so that you can receive”.
When this member makes public announcements that essentially force officials to do his bidding, when convicted criminals and self-confessed embezzlers receive grants and loans, when businessmen buy land that benefits the Prime Minister, when they receive huge government contracts to follow that up with huge—
Government ContractsOral Question Period
The Speaker
Order, please. I ask the hon. member to please go to his question.
Chuck Strahl Reform Fraser Valley, BC
Mr. Speaker, when we add that up, the Prime Minister has gone way too far.
Why did the Prime Minister use the prestige of his office to benefit his political party and himself?
Diane Marleau LiberalMinister for International Cooperation and Minister responsible for Francophonie
Mr. Speaker, these innuendoes are absolutely unacceptable.
This contract was awarded by an independent committee made up of representatives of the government of Mali and one outside contractor. CIDA was there as an observer only. There was nobody from the Prime Minister's office present.
Gilles Duceppe Bloc Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade indicated earlier that he was still waiting for a letter from the Government of Quebec on the asbestos issue.
He is probably not up to date on the matter, because his minister received a letter on January 27, 1999 from the Government of Quebec repeating its request to be directly involved in all stages of the proceedings.
This is my question for the Prime Minister: What the explanation is for the federal government's refusal to make room for Quebec on the Canadian delegation in this specific issue of asbestos, when it is debated at the WTO?
Bob Speller LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Minister for International Trade
Mr. Speaker, in January 1999 the minister of Quebec sent a letter to the Government of Canada requesting that. It was later said that the premier of Quebec wanted to write the Prime Minister on this issue to make it much more strongly and we have not yet received that letter.
The hon. member knows that the Government of Canada has consulted widely, not only with the industry and the stakeholders but with the Government of Quebec. We have asked for its advice and we are presenting its arguments today before the WTO.
Gilles Duceppe Bloc Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of International Trade's response to the Government of Quebec on March 5 was a bit of a farce. He wrote “This is why, under the circumstances, I cannot respond favourably to your request to take part in the coming hearings of the special WTO group on the Canada-France dispute concerning asbestos”.
I ask the Prime Minister, who is perhaps better informed, where the terrible threat would be to Canada, to the Canadian federation, in having Quebec representation in the asbestos dispute in the WTO, even if this is, in the eyes of the Quebec Liberal MPs, asking too much, since they are so used to making no demands?
Bob Speller LiberalParliamentary Secretary to Minister for International Trade
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member should know that Liberal members on this side have approached the Government of Canada, the Prime Minister and the Minister for International Trade. They lobbied very hard on behalf of their province to make sure that a strong position was put forward at the WTO.
The March response was Quebec's response to the letter sent by the Minister for International Trade. In a sense, Quebec told the minister at that time that because it was a French situation it wanted to deal with it and that the Government of Canada does not provide a seat for the—
Diane Ablonczy Reform Calgary Nose Hill, AB
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister would have us believe that Shawinigan is the coincidence capital of Canada.
When Mr. Duhaime received nearly $1 million in federal government money to refurbish the hotel beside the Prime Minister's golf course, a grant that helped to increase the value of the golf course, was it just by coincidence?
When Mr. Gauthier received a $6.3 million CIDA contract after he bought land owned by the Prime Minister's cash starved golf course was it just another coincidence?
Why did the Prime Minister use the public's money to reward favours and buy votes?
Government ContractsOral Question Period
The Speaker
Order, please. These questions are impugning motives. I am going to permit the Prime Minister to answer this question, but I think we are over the line here.
Jean Chrétien LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, again, we have reference to a golf course that has not belonged to me since November 1993.
If they have any decency, they will make a clear accusation that I have a conflict of interest and have the guts to make it outside. We will meet them in court after that.