Debates of Oct. 4th, 2002

Government Contracts

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Cardigan, PE]

Thank you very much. That is most inappropriate.

The fact of the matter is that what was required on this contract was a highly capable, former federal deputy minister to give me advice for the Solicitor General's office and for the province of Prince Edward Island. He certainly gave great advice which produced a lot of results, such as the national drug strategy, which is in the Speech from the Throne, and the Confederation Centre of the Arts in Charlottetown which received millions of dollars. With a man like this, it only helps Prince Edward Island and Canada.

[Kevin Sorenson, Canadian Alliance, Crowfoot, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Solicitor General just said “with a man like this”, yet he says that it is the firm they hired. This contract in question was sole sourced to the minister's official agent. Why?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Solicitor General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, they accessed the contract. They cannot read it. The fact of the matter is that the firm got the contract. It was not an individual. The individual who gave the advice was a very prominent former federal deputy minister who did a lot for this country and who ended up doing a lot for Prince Edward Island.

A minister needs lots of good advice and that is what I got. It was good for Prince Edward Island and it was good for Canada.

[Kevin Sorenson, Canadian Alliance, Crowfoot, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the contract awarded to Everett Roche's firm was sole sourced. According to Treasury Board guidelines, a department is allowed to sole source only if it meets one of the following criteria: first, the need is of a pressing emergency; second, the expenditure does not exceed $25,000; third, the nature of the work would not be in the public interest to solicit other bids; or fourth, only one supplier can do the work.

Could the Solicitor General tell the House which criteria did he use, one, two, three or four, in justifying Roche's firm's--

[The Speaker]

The hon. Solicitor General.

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Solicitor General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, what the hon. member asked for yesterday was facts. What he is getting today is facts. The fact of the matter is I was able to hire one of the most capable advisers in this country to make sure that I, as the Solicitor General of Canada, had good advice and that we had a man that understood the needs of Prince Edward Island. Both of these requirements were this man's strengths and he certainly proved it.

[Pierre Brien, Bloc, Témiscamingue, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on March 17, 2000, in an e-mail sent to the individual responsible for awarding contracts at Canadian Heritage, the director of the national sport policy task force wrote “The firm the secretary of state wants to hire is Everest”.

Will the Minister of Public Works tell us whether, under the usual procedure for awarding contracts, a minister is allowed to impose his choices?

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Minister of Public Works and Government Services]

Mr. Speaker, it is my information that the contract in question was in fact awarded by the Department of Public Works and Government Services on behalf of the Department of Canadian Heritage. I am advised that the choice of Groupe Everest was made by officials in my department on the basis of the agency's standing offer with the department. That standing offer was established by a competitive process.

[Pierre Brien, Bloc, Témiscamingue, QC]

Mr. Speaker, government contracts must be awarded without any political influence being brought to bear, and the minister knows it.

That being the case, how does the Minister of Public Works explain that there is an e-mail stating in black and white that the former Secretary of State for Amateur Sport wanted to hire Everest and that, as luck would have it, that is exactly what happened?

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Minister of Public Works and Government Services]

Mr. Speaker, I have no personal knowledge of the e-mail. What I have done is to inquire of the officials of my department as to what transpired in this case. They indicate that there was a standing offer that was utilized and that standing offer was created in the first place by means of a competitive process.

[Madeleine Dalphond-Guiral, Bloc, Laval Centre, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Public Works assured us yesterday that he would make all the appropriate enquiries with respect to the contracts awarded to Everest following pressure brought to bear by the former Secretary of State for Amateur Sport.

My question today is a very simple one. Will the Minister of Public Works tell us whether, in March 2000, Everest appeared on the list of companies prequalified by Canadian Heritage for this kind of contract?

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Minister of Public Works and Government Services]

Mr. Speaker, the firm's name appeared certainly on the standing offer that was available to the government. I am making further inquiries about the details as to the departmental applicability of that, but indeed there was a standing offer and this particular firm was a part of it.

[Madeleine Dalphond-Guiral, Bloc, Laval Centre, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it is clear that the Minister of Public Works is refusing to give a clear answer to my question.

Is this not because Canadian Heritage's list was bypassed and the Everest contract went through Public Words solely to comply with the wishes of the Secretary of State for Amateur Sport, a minister very familiar with how the system works and who did not hesitate to make use of it?

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Minister of Public Works and Government Services]

Mr. Speaker, if the question from the hon. member is whether there was a deliberate attempt made to circumvent the normal procedures, I can assure her, on the information that has been given to me by my officials, that is not the case.

Employment Insurance

[Bill Blaikie, NDP, Winnipeg—Transcona, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the Solicitor General cannot seem to make up his mind whether they hired a firm or they hired a friend, but what seems sure is that Mr. Roche has a very firm friend in the form of the Solicitor General.

I am more concerned about people in Atlantic Canada and elsewhere who do not have access to the minister's largesse and who depend on unemployment insurance benefits for a portion of their income. It appears that there is a debate going on in cabinet about reducing employment insurance benefits in order to pay for some of the things that are in the throne speech.

I would like someone on the government side to get up in the House and assure us that this is not the case and guarantee the House today that there will be no changes in employment insurance benefits designed for that purpose.

[Raymonde Folco, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources Development]

First, Mr. Speaker, I would like to encourage the member opposite to reread the Speech from the Throne and to reread the government's skills and learning agenda. I would like to be very clear. We are not talking about cuts to EI benefits.

I will repeat: We are not talking about cuts to EI benefits. We are talking about ensuring the development and use of the skills and talents of all Canadians in an increasingly knowledge-based economy.

[Bill Blaikie, NDP, Winnipeg—Transcona, MB]

Mr. Speaker, next time I have an attack of insomnia I will reread the throne speech.

I did not get an assurance from the minister that there would be no changes in employment insurance benefits. She used the word cuts, that there will be no cuts, but we have seen other things that have amounted to cuts even though they have been described differently. We are reminded of the fact that the government fought its deficit on the backs of the unemployed. What is next?

I wonder if the minister could indicate what kinds of changes they have in mind. Let us have a little more detail. There is a lot to be worried about here.

[Raymonde Folco, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources Development]

Mr. Speaker, I can talk about the compassionate family care leave initiative, for example, which would represent an enhancement, not a reduction, to current benefits provided through our programs. We have other programs as well. This is only one example. I would really suggest that he read the departmental papers, which would help in giving him an answer to his own question.

Government Contracts

[Peter MacKay, Progressive Conservative, Pictou—Antigonish—Guysborough, NS]

Mr. Speaker, as Solicitor General this minister's first priority should be to set a high ethical standard and first and foremost uphold the law. Instead, we see further evidence of a man fixated on funneling federal funds to family and friends.

The Solicitor General lobbied his own officials to help his brother's college. He saw to it that the P.E.I. Liberal president was going to be shovelled a sweetheart deal in his riding of Cardigan and now his own official agent is the beneficiary of the minister's Midas touch.

Does the Solicitor General really believe that it is acceptable for him to reward family and friends and campaign workers with taxpayers' hard-earned money?

[David Collenette, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the government, I take great umbrage at the insinuations of the hon. member's question.

The Solicitor General has served this country with distinction in a number of posts. Yesterday he undertook to put the facts of this matter before the House. He issued a statement before question period which is a full statement. The matter will be looked into by the ethics counsellor. The hon. member has done what he said he would do.

I would ask the hon. member to get on to the important affairs of state and not just muddy the waters, as he loves to do.

[Peter MacKay, Progressive Conservative, Pictou—Antigonish—Guysborough, NS]

Mr. Speaker, here comes the cavalry. I do not think we need to hear from the corruption approval officer who masks himself as the ethics counsellor.

Yesterday the Solicitor General did anything but give the House straight answers on this issue. He played dumb on whether he knew the details of this highly questionable contract. A sole source untendered contract for advice on criminal justice issues from an accountant is reason enough to ask questions, but when such a cozy Liberal connection exists, surely Canadians deserve answers.

I ask the minister again: Does he think anybody bought his answers yesterday that he knew nothing about these contracts? More important, does--

[The Speaker]

The hon. Minister of Transport.

[David Collenette, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, not only is the hon. member content to malign the Solicitor General but he is also maligning the ethics counsellor, someone who has served his country also with distinction and whose reputation is beyond repute. I would ask: Is the Conservative Party so bereft of ideas, is it so lacking of the issues facing this country that all it can do is stand here in question period and try to malign an honourable minister of the Crown?

[Gerry Ritz, Canadian Alliance, Battlefords—Lloydminster, SK]

Mr. Speaker, I do not think there is going to be any doubt that the Solicitor General is going to be the new poster boy for EI reform. He is going to need it very shortly.

The former defence minister was forced to resign because he funneled taxpayers' money to his girlfriend. The Solicitor General is caught in that same ethical breach, so I am wondering how the ethics counsellor for these guys can find any difference.

The precedent is set. A friend is a friend. Taxpayers' money is taxpayers' money. How could he possibly find this issue any different?

[David Collenette, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, as I have said, the hon. Solicitor General has issued a statement that explains fully the context of the issue. The ethics counsellor is going to look into the issue. I would say that we should let that particular inquiry play out. Let us accept the explanations of the hon. Solicitor General, which are made in good faith. There is no wrongdoing here. Everything has been done according to appropriate guidelines.