House of Commons Hansard #22 of the 38th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was province.

Topics

Sponsorship ProgramOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

Liberal

Scott Brison Liberal Kings—Hants, NS

Mr. Speaker, I withdraw the word “stupid” from my response.

The hon. member and all members of the House would be better served if he were to listen to the good responses to his good questions and then ask a better supplementary question.

National DefenceOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

NDP

Jack Layton NDP Toronto—Danforth, ON

Mr. Speaker, during the election the Prime Minister claimed that his values came from the same wellspring as ours.

Pierre Trudeau shared our values when he said no to the Vietnam war. Jean Chrétien shared our values when he said no to the war in Iraq. The Prime Minister does not seem to know whether he shares our values or those of George Bush.

Can he tell us now why, when he asked Canadians to support him, he did not tell them he was going to lead them down the road to George Bush's next arms race?

National DefenceOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

LaSalle—Émard Québec

Liberal

Paul Martin LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, during the election campaign we talked in terms of foreign policy about a new multilateralism. We talked about creating a leadership of nations capable of dealing with the elimination of poverty. We talked about the need for international action on the environment. We talked about the need to deal with the very real structural problems that exist within Africa. We talked about the need to reform the United Nations.

We are acting in each of those areas.

National DefenceOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

NDP

Jack Layton NDP Toronto—Danforth, ON

Mr. Speaker, quite clearly, star wars is not multilateralism in action. This Prime Minister is no Lloyd Axworthy, that is for sure.

Canadians have a growing fear of George Bush and his next step. His next step is militarization that is going to increase the arms race.

My question is for the Prime Minister. Does star wars represent Canadian values or George Bush's values?

National DefenceOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Pierre Pettigrew LiberalMinister of Foreign Affairs

Mr. Speaker, it is quite important to understand that the ballistic missile defence system that the Americans have decided to implement was not an issue supported only by President Bush. It was also supported by Senator Kerry. It is important that the leader of the NDP realize that. It was not an issue in the last campaign in the United States.

As far as we are concerned, the Prime Minister has defined our foreign policy. We are working on it and we will continue to work on it. We will have discussions with the Americans in terms of the best possible way of getting Canada to ensure its defence in North America.

Sponsorship ProgramOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Conservative

Monte Solberg Conservative Medicine Hat, AB

Mr. Speaker, in 1995 the government's open bidding system tendered a $600,000 contract for the Canada investments and savings advertising campaign which was overseen by the Department of Finance. Although DJC Research had the lowest bid, the contract was split in half and a $300,000 contract was instead given to Ekos “in order to satisfy the wishes of finance”. Surprise, Earnscliffe was part of the Ekos team.

Why does the Prime Minister not admit that he funnelled the $300,000 rigged contract through Ekos to pay off his buddies at Earnscliffe?

Sponsorship ProgramOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Kings—Hants Nova Scotia

Liberal

Scott Brison LiberalMinister of Public Works and Government Services

Mr. Speaker, in this specific case the Department of Finance has answered the hon. member's question. This was a situation handled entirely by public servants at both finance and public works. There was a legitimate difference of opinion in terms of best value versus lowest price, and that is not new to the procurement process.

It is notable again that the opposition gained access to this document through the work of Justice Gomery. That is why it is clear that Justice Gomery's work is proceeding well, and the opposition ought to allow him to do exactly that.

Sponsorship ProgramOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Conservative

Monte Solberg Conservative Medicine Hat, AB

Mr. Speaker, it is also a document that was not made available to the public accounts committee because the government was hiding information.

The $300,000 is just the tip of the iceberg. Access to information requests show that Ekos and Earnscliffe have picked up over $5 million in contracts from Canada investments and savings since finance directed things its way going back to 1995. We just have to love those Liberal values.

Which is it? Does the Prime Minister want clean government or does he just want his friends to clean up in government?

Sponsorship ProgramOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Kings—Hants Nova Scotia

Liberal

Scott Brison LiberalMinister of Public Works and Government Services

Mr. Speaker, that is another well choreographed but poorly researched question from the opposition.

The Department of Finance did intervene from time to time, in fact, to actually broaden the level of competition for advertising and services. This was clearly a case that if the hon. member were to really look at the facts, he would recognize that public servants in this case were working together to achieve best value on behalf of Canadians.

He is actually making scurrilous commentary on the floor of the House of Commons and is engaged in a witch hunt that is doing damage to the Gomery process.

Canada-U.S. RelationsOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Conservative

Stockwell Day Conservative Okanagan—Coquihalla, BC

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister hinted today that he does not agree with the Liberal statement that Americans are psychologically messed up.

Will he disavow any of these other Liberal statements like the one comparing U.S. policy to “Nazi aggression in Europe”; this Liberal foreign policy gem, “We will have to rewrite history so that Pearl Harbor is no longer described as an atrocity”; or a minister comparing American trade groups to cancer and another minister saying, “We are surrounded with a certain menace, starting with the United States”?

Will the Prime Minister help us understand which of these are actual Liberal positions and should be supported, and which are not and should be disciplined?

Canada-U.S. RelationsOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Pierre Pettigrew LiberalMinister of Foreign Affairs

Mr. Speaker, I know the opposition takes great pleasure in trying to demonstrate that we do not work well with the United States. I know that the opposition takes pleasure in drawing attention to some--

Canada-U.S. RelationsOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Some hon. members

Oh, oh!

Canada-U.S. RelationsOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

The Speaker

Order. We have to be able to hear the minister's response. I know that everyone likes to help the minister with his answers and applaud certain statements, but we must be able to hear what the minister says. He was asked a question, and the member for Okanagan--Coquihalla is on the edge of his seat, waiting to ask a supplementary. How can he do that if he cannot hear the answer?

The minister has the floor.

Canada-U.S. RelationsOral Question Period

2:30 p.m.

Liberal

Pierre Pettigrew Liberal Papineau, QC

Mr. Speaker, this is the government that has negotiated the smart border with the United States which is helping our commerce and trade. This is the government that has been working with the United States to fight terrorism on the North American continent. This is the government that has worked with the Americans and other members of the international community to bring back stability in Afghanistan. This is the government that is working in Haiti alongside--

Canada-U.S. RelationsOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

The Speaker

The hon. member for Okanagan--Coquihalla.

Canada-U.S. RelationsOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Conservative

Stockwell Day Conservative Okanagan—Coquihalla, BC

Mr. Speaker, we would like to see some smart MPs along with those smart borders.

While the Prime Minister begs his MPs to hide their prejudices, they continue to defy him. Yesterday the Minister of Foreign Affairs said not to worry about these harmful statements, they come from “obscure MPs”.

As these MPs continue these harmful statements, what specific steps is the Prime Minister prepared to take to accelerate their obscurity?

Canada-U.S. RelationsOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Papineau Québec

Liberal

Pierre Pettigrew LiberalMinister of Foreign Affairs

Mr. Speaker, it has been the daunting task of the leader of the official opposition to change the prejudices of a number of backbenchers he has on his side. Those prejudices on the charter of rights and the number of prejudices have resulted in many of his prominent spokesmen from the past Parliament to be seated way back, precisely because he is trying to change the image of his party.

I can tell members one thing. We will work with the Bush administration in the best interests of Canada.

Sponsorship ProgramOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Bloc

Benoît Sauvageau Bloc Repentigny, QC

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is a very active man. According to this same document from the Gomery commission, in February 1995, the Department of Finance arranged for Earnscliffe to receive a $30,000 contract that the Department of Justice wanted to award to Pierre Bélisle.

Will the Prime Minister confirm that his political staff, when he was at finance, intervened directly so that the contract would be awarded to Earnscliffe, a company that is part of his circle of very close friends?

Sponsorship ProgramOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Kings—Hants Nova Scotia

Liberal

Scott Brison LiberalMinister of Public Works and Government Services

Mr. Speaker, there was a wide range of contracting activity seeking advertising and polling information. These were done within Treasury Board guidelines.

I would urge the hon. member to once again wait for the Gomery inquiry to conclude its work, for the report to be tabled, and for all Canadians to benefit from getting to the bottom of this issue. That would be far better than using day to day testimony as fodder for partisan rhetoric on the floor of the House of Commons.

Sponsorship ProgramOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Bloc

Benoît Sauvageau Bloc Repentigny, QC

Mr. Speaker, I dare not describe the quality of this response. I will try again.

This same company also received attentive service from another close friend of the Prime Minister, the current Minister of Finance, who, in August 1995, arranged for a $50,000 contract to be awarded to Earnscliffe to conduct a survey in the Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food.

Can the Minister of Finance deny that he too personally intervened to again favour Earnscliffe?

Sponsorship ProgramOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Kings—Hants Nova Scotia

Liberal

Scott Brison LiberalMinister of Public Works and Government Services

Mr. Speaker, once again the opposition is making the same basic allegation. It is commenting on testimony and Gomery documents.

I am actually going to talk a little bit about some of the success stories within the Department of Public Works. Recently, the French minister of state for reform said that he thought France could save a lot of money by paying closer attention to government purchases and using one stop shopping like we are doing in Canada.

The Government of France is recognizing that the Department of Public Works in Canada is a best practice model for actually changing the approach in France.

Sponsorship ProgramOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Bloc

Michel Gauthier Bloc Roberval, QC

Mr. Speaker, Terrie O'Leary, the current Minister of Finance, Earnscliffe, and all these fine people have one thing in common: they are all in the Prime Minister's inner circle and they were very active in the sponsorship file in 1994-95, some giving out contracts, others benefiting from them.

This is my question: does the Prime Minister not realize that his defence of not knowing what was going on in the sponsorship file does not hold water, and that what we are learning, especially in the Gomery commission, is that in fact his team never missed an opportunity to be very active in awarding contracts?

Sponsorship ProgramOral Question Period

2:35 p.m.

Kings—Hants Nova Scotia

Liberal

Scott Brison LiberalMinister of Public Works and Government Services

Mr. Speaker, once again, we have on the floor of the House of Commons opposition members trying to create a parallel Gomery inquiry instead of respecting the independence of the judicial inquiry, and allowing Justice Gomery to do his work to get to the bottom of the issue and to serve Canadians effectively by providing the truth.

I do not know what the opposition has against Justice Gomery doing his work and getting to the bottom of the issue. We are not afraid of the truth in this government.

Sponsorship ProgramOral Question Period

2:40 p.m.

Bloc

Michel Gauthier Bloc Roberval, QC

Mr. Speaker, what the opposition is trying to do is not to bring the Gomery commission in here; it is to get the truth out of the Prime Minister and the government. That is what we are trying to do.

Is the Prime Minister finally going to admit—

Sponsorship ProgramOral Question Period

2:40 p.m.

Some hon. members

Oh, oh!