House of Commons Hansard #190 of the 37th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was corruption.
Rex Barnes Progressive Conservative Gander—Grand Falls, NL
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Transport.
Lewisporte in my riding will be devastated economically if the federal marine terminal is closed. The minister for ACOA told the House that concrete solutions and ideas for the town of Lewisporte would be put in place but still today nothing has happened.
Will the Minister of Transport commit to the people of Lewisporte that the marine terminal will be kept open until a new economic diversification plan is put in place?
David Collenette LiberalMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, this has been the subject of discussion between myself and the secretary of state for ACOA. We obviously do not want any harm to come to the people in the hon. member's constituency. We take particular note of the challenges faced in the marine community and especially at the ports in Atlantic Canada.
Peter MacKay Progressive Conservative Pictou—Antigonish—Guysborough, NS
Mr. Speaker, clearly the minister of public works does not understand that he was in a real and perceived conflict of interest by staying at Mr. Boulay's mansion while at the same time giving out millions of dollars in contracts to his host's company. The issue is not what he got, it is what he gave, and no absolution after the fact will change that.
In his previous incarnation as a rat packer, that minister would howl like a banshee and regularly slur the names of ministers and their families. How things change.
Will the minister now restore some honour to his office, to himself and to the House and tender his resignation today?
Don Boudria LiberalMinister of Public Works and Government Services
Mr. Speaker, notwithstanding my human imperfections, which I am the first to admit to, I do believe that I behaved honourably before the House, outside the House, in my constituency and before all Canadians.
Kevin Sorenson Canadian Alliance Crowfoot, AB
Mr. Speaker, clearly the cheque that was written and signed by the daughter-in-law of the minister of public works was not cashed until yesterday which means that no dollars left the account until yesterday. Therefore the minister's assertion that he had paid for his stay at this luxury cottage was inaccurate.
Why did the minister attempt to mislead the House?
Don Boudria LiberalMinister of Public Works and Government Services
I missed some of that, Mr. Speaker. I apologize. I never said that I had personally issued that cheque. That is factually inaccurate and the hon. member knows it.
Of course the amount was paid at the time. The cheque confirms that. The one who received the cheque confirmed that. The one who received the cheque after the one who received the cheque confirmed that. It seems that everybody knows that except the hon. member asking the question.
Kevin Sorenson Canadian Alliance Crowfoot, AB
Mr. Speaker, surely the member knows that it is not paid for until the cheque is cashed. Surely the daughter-in-law of the minister of public works informed him that the cheque had never been cashed. Therefore their stay at the luxury cottage was in fact a freebie. It was gratis, meaning that the minister clearly violated the conflict rules.
Obviously the minister of public works deliberately misled the House and I therefore ask--
Government ContractsOral Question Period
The Deputy Speaker
Order, please. I would ask the member for Crowfoot to withdraw the words “deliberately misled”.
Kevin Sorenson Canadian Alliance Crowfoot, AB
Mr. Speaker, the minister stood and said that he had paid. I will not withdraw them.
Government ContractsOral Question Period
The Deputy Speaker
It would be my intention to return to this matter at 3 o'clock. The hon. member for Laurier--Sainte-Marie.
Gilles Duceppe Bloc Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC
Mr. Speaker, this whole story came out last week and the minister of public works told us that, indeed, his son or his daughter-in-law had paid for the cottage.
I wonder if, last week, the minister of public works bothered to check with his daughter-in-law to see if, indeed, the cheque had been cashed. Because it is only once the cheque is cashed that the transaction is completed.
Was the minister prudent enough to then ask his daughter-in-law if the transaction had indeed been done and if the cheque had been cashed, to ensure that it was in circulation?
Don Boudria LiberalMinister of Public Works and Government Services
Mr. Speaker, this is nonsense. Of course the cheque was in circulation; it was issued and given. People at the other end of the process acknowledged receipt of the cheque, which was given to a third party who, yesterday, in this House, through an affidavit, confirmed that he received it. So, everything is clear.
Government ContractsOral Question Period
The Deputy Speaker
Order, please. We must hear the question. The hon. member for Laurier—Sainte-Marie.
Gilles Duceppe Bloc Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC
Mr. Speaker, the minister is telling us that everything is clear. What is clear is that there is a cheque of $800 supposedly written on March 18, that it is only in April, three days after the first revelations were made, that a priest was contacted, that the daughter-in-law did not bother to check to see if the $800 cheque had been cashed or not, that the priest told us that he cashed the cheque last week, while yesterday he said that he never cashed it.
Could the Minister of Public Works explain to me what he finds clear in this, in this cheque that travels—
Government ContractsOral Question Period
The Deputy Speaker
Order, please. The right hon. Prime Minister.
Jean Chrétien LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, I graduated from law school some 40 years ago. I still remember that a transaction is completed when the will is received.
When the lady signed the cheque, the payment was made, legally speaking. The person who signed the cheque could not do anything, except pay. This is taught in first year of law school in the province of Quebec.
Rahim Jaffer Canadian Alliance Edmonton Strathcona, AB
Mr. Speaker, when the minister was in opposition, he often spoke of government ethics and morals.
Today he is coping with an ethical problem he created for himself. Now, when he should be cleaning up the mess left by his predecessor, he finds himself in an unfortunate situation.
Clearly, in order to reassure the 70% of Canadians who believe there is corruption, this minister must be replaced. Why is the Prime Minister refusing to take action right away?
Don Boudria LiberalMinister of Public Works and Government Services
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member just mentioned that I spoke about ethics when I was in opposition, and this is true. I spoke about ethics recently. I am speaking about ethics today. I will speak about them tomorrow and ever after, as long as I am a parliamentarian.
Rahim Jaffer Canadian Alliance Edmonton Strathcona, AB
The unfortunate thing, Mr. Speaker, is that the minister has lost all credibility on the issue of ethics now.
The Prime Minister spoke in the House earlier today about the ethics and morals in government. He claims that he runs a clean government but 70% of Canadians do not believe that.
We have had enough of the lapdog ethics counsellor and enough of the broken promises and empty platitudes. Why will the Prime Minister not do something specific and real to demonstrate that he is serious about cleaning up and fire the public works minister?
Jean Chrétien LiberalPrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, it strikes me that we are now in a very interesting area. A first year law student knows that a contract is complete when the two parties exchange the will, so when the cheque is signed and accepted, the transaction is over. They should go back to school.
John Bryden Liberal Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Aldershot, ON
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the finance minister.
Again we read in the media of charities raising money from a trusting public and none of it going to people in need.
The Toronto Star has reported that a charity called Planet Aid Canada raised $1.7 million only to pocket it all. This situation is being repeated time and time again by organizations that have charitable status but operate almost exclusively to the financial benefit of the people running them.
When will the government do something to force charities to be transparent and accountable so that the giving public can spot the bad from the good?
Paul Martin LiberalMinister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member asks the question from a wealth of personal knowledge and experience. He also asked it from a deep appreciation of the invaluable contribution that Canadian charities have made to the fabric of our society right across the land.
I can assure him that the Minister of National Revenue and myself, through our departments, are working very closely with the voluntary sector to explore all avenues that will result in more effective and more transparent regulation on charities.