House of Commons Hansard #131 of the 36th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was billion.

Topics

Auditor General's ReportOral Question Period

2:20 p.m.

Okanagan—Coquihalla B.C.

Canadian Alliance

Stockwell Day Canadian AllianceLeader of the Opposition

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister delights in reviewing my record which is encouraging to me because he may learn something from my record.

The auditor general talked about the policies I put in place as the finance minister, which were highly effective, and I received praise for those.

The main difference between my record of involvement with any kind of grants, or whatever it may be, is that none of my involvements have required RCMP investigations, but his have.

Will he apologize for all those RCMP investigations that have had to take place?

Auditor General's ReportOral Question Period

2:20 p.m.

Saint-Maurice Québec

Liberal

Jean Chrétien LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, members opposite make accusations by association and so on. They have no respect. They always talk about dishonesty. What the auditor general had to say yesterday addresses the question of dishonesty. “I am quick to point out that we did not identify any cases of malfeasance by public servants in those programs. The main factor was an imbalance between the desire of their department to provide fast service and the need to have control over the spending of public funds”.

Members opposite have been talking for months about the boondoggle of $1 billion. The auditor general said that he could not find any proof of anyone stealing in the department.

Auditor General's ReportOral Question Period

2:20 p.m.

Okanagan—Coquihalla B.C.

Canadian Alliance

Stockwell Day Canadian AllianceLeader of the Opposition

Mr. Speaker, I guess we have got it all wrong. The auditor general did say $3 billion worth of spending—

Auditor General's ReportOral Question Period

2:20 p.m.

Some hon. members

Hear, hear.

Auditor General's ReportOral Question Period

2:20 p.m.

The Speaker

Order, please. We will hear the Leader of the Opposition's question. The hon. Leader of the Opposition.

Auditor General's ReportOral Question Period

2:20 p.m.

Canadian Alliance

Stockwell Day Canadian Alliance Okanagan—Coquihalla, BC

Mr. Speaker, I guess we have got it all wrong. According to the—

Auditor General's ReportOral Question Period

2:20 p.m.

Some hon. members

Hear, hear.

Auditor General's ReportOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

The Speaker

Order, please. With all respect, with the preamble we have heard, I would ask the hon. Leader of the Opposition to rephrase his question.

Auditor General's ReportOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

Canadian Alliance

Stockwell Day Canadian Alliance Okanagan—Coquihalla, BC

Mr. Speaker, we have seen Pavlov's dogs before and we are seeing it again.

I guess we have got it wrong. According to the Prime Minister, the auditor general did not say that he wasted $3 billion. According to the Prime Minister, I guess the information commissioner did not say that public servants felt threatened, did not say that the Prime Minister undermined democracy. I guess we have got it wrong.

Why does the Prime Minister not just say that we are all wrong, every media report is wrong and the Canadian public who are phoning and e-mailing by the thousands are wrong?

Auditor General's ReportOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

Saint-Maurice Québec

Liberal

Jean Chrétien LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, it is quite evident that the Leader of the Opposition is speaking too often with Jesse Helms.

It might be very surprising that in order for a Prime Minister, a francophone from Quebec, to correct the Leader of the Opposition, I should perhaps invite the House of Commons to stand up and sing God Save the Queen .

Auditor General's ReportOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

Bloc

Gilles Duceppe Bloc Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC

Mr. Speaker, I am listening to the Prime Minister today and I would have expected more restraint, less arrogance and cynicism, and a greater sense of responsibility.

In the wake of the reports from the auditor general and the information commissioner, which confirm what we have been saying here for months, how can he justify the unjustifiable?

How can he justify the cronyism, the favouritism, government mismanagement and his more than questionable conduct in his own riding?

Auditor General's ReportOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

Some hon. members

Oh, oh.

Auditor General's ReportOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

The Speaker

Order, please. I would ask all members to choose their words very carefully.

Auditor General's ReportOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

Saint-Maurice Québec

Liberal

Jean Chrétien LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, I would like the Leader of the Bloc Quebecois to stick a little closer to the truth.

Auditor General's ReportOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

Some hon. members

Oh, oh.

Auditor General's ReportOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

Liberal

Jean Chrétien Liberal Saint-Maurice, QC

Again today, the papers reported that, in the case of Transélec, the auditor general's staff have indicated that there had been absolutely no political interference.

In his report, the auditor general said that an examination of all these files did not reveal a single person from the public service—and we, as MPs and ministers, are part of the public service—and clearly said that there had been absolutely no wrongdoing by politicians or public servants in any of these cases.

Auditor General's ReportOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

Bloc

Gilles Duceppe Bloc Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC

Mr. Speaker, my words were very carefully chosen. There was no better way to put it.

If we are going to talk about the truth, the truth is that his friend, Claude Gauthier, is involved in both the Placeteco and Transélec scandals. The truth is that there are four RCMP investigations ongoing in the Prime Minister's riding.

The truth is that it was not $250 that was misspent; millions have disappeared. The truth is that perhaps this Prime Minister wants an election before the investigations are concluded, before the law gets involved. He does not want to know what is going to happen—

Auditor General's ReportOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

Some hon. members

Hear, hear.

Auditor General's ReportOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

Some hon. members

Oh, oh.

Auditor General's ReportOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

The Speaker

Order, please.

Auditor General's ReportOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Saint-Maurice Québec

Liberal

Jean Chrétien LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, I would like the Leader of the Bloc Quebecois to have the honesty to say that, in one instance, it was my office that called the police. I hope he will take this opportunity to do so.

Auditor General's ReportOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Some hon. members

Oh, oh.

Auditor General's ReportOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Liberal

Jean Chrétien Liberal Saint-Maurice, QC

Right now, the auditor general has said that, in the case of Transélec, everything is completely in order. He said so himself.

When this member was elected, he very clearly promised all Quebecers they would be in the Parliament of Canada for one term only. Then it was two terms. All they are interested in is the federal government's money, because they are not able to win in Quebec.

Auditor General's ReportOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Bloc

Michel Gauthier Bloc Roberval, QC

Mr. Speaker, I realize that, on the eve of an election, it is trying for the Prime Minister to realize that his score in Quebec will be no more than 20 members. We understand that but we are sorry to say that we are going to knock him flat in this election.

Members will recall that on February 9 the Prime Minister said that the whole Human Resources Development Canada scandal amounted to $250. It was nothing, he said.

Does the Prime Minister, on the eve of the end of his mandate, not realize that there is a very serious problem in the—

Auditor General's ReportOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

The Speaker

The Right hon. Prime Minister.