Mr. Speaker, I said in my reply to the solicitor general that I agreed with him, that he had done absolutely nothing wrong and that he had defended the people of P.E.I. He defended the interests of the people of this little province who needed help from the federal government, but in the interest of good governance, he did not want to create the impression that he was fighting for his seat. He will be fighting for his honour. He has been a great minister and I am proud that he served in my cabinet.
In the House of Commons on October 22nd, 2002. See this statement in context.