Debates of March 10th, 2004

Sponsorship Program

[Rahim Jaffer, Canadian Alliance, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Minister of Public Works finally admitted that he did not have a clue as to how many police investigations were being conducted into the ad scam. He said, “It's a little hard to keep up with all the investigations”.

How many police investigations are there into the sponsorship scandal?

[Stephen Owen, Liberal, Minister of Public Works and Government Services]

Mr. Speaker, I think as I said yesterday, there have been 18--

[The Speaker]

Order, please. I can hardly hear the minister and he is very close to the Speaker in the seating arrangement. I do not know how the member for Edmonton--Strathcona is going to be able to hear in order to ask a supplementary question. We have to be able to hear the answers to have intelligent supplementary questions. The hon. Minister of Public Works is doing his best to answer. We have to be able to hear.

[Stephen Owen, Liberal, Vancouver Quadra, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to have the opportunity to answer the hon. member's question.

As I said yesterday, 18 charges have been laid against one individual as a result of police investigations into the sponsorship issue. There are at least 12 or 13 investigations underway. What I have said is that the investigation arm of the RCMP conducts its own investigations. It makes public what it thinks is appropriate so that investigations will not be compromised. We are not keeping a running count on this side of the House to announce to the public on behalf--

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for Edmonton--Strathcona.

[Rahim Jaffer, Canadian Alliance, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, they have no clue what is going on over there, and that is clear from the minister's answer.

The minister now claims he is undertaking a review of 721 sponsorship programs, which ought to have happened years ago. Had the government done so, it would have realized that money intended for organizations such as the Bluenose trust had been highjacked.

How many of these 721 files will be passed on to the police?

[Stephen Owen, Liberal, Minister of Public Works and Government Services]

Mr. Speaker, I released the terms of reference to the special counsel for financial recovery just before question period today. I invite the hon. member to consult those to see the very intensive review that is underway.

In fact there have been previous forensic audits into these files by both the Auditor General and by the department itself with independent auditors. We also have police investigations as we know, as is mentioned. However, we also have, as the member has said, 721 sponsorship cases in total that the special counsel will be looking into in detail to recover any money that was improperly billed or unearned.

Prime Minister

[Monte Solberg, Canadian Alliance, Medicine Hat, AB]

Mr. Speaker, since January, the Prime Minister has racked up a $300,000 tab using a Challenger to criss-cross the country and tell Canadians how much he feels their pain.

We know that the Liberal Party ripped off Canadians in the ad scam. Why should Canadians have to pay for the Prime Minister's election campaign tour instead of having the Liberal Party pay for it?

[Paul Martin, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, one of the things that one hears from Canadians from coast to coast to coast, and especially from Canadians in western Canada, is that they want to see the government there. They want to see the Prime Minister there. They want to see ministers there.

I happen to believe that it is the responsibility of the Prime Minister to visit all parts of the country, and I will continue to do that.

[Monte Solberg, Canadian Alliance, Medicine Hat, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I am sure there are a lot of Canadians who are asking the Prime Minister for their money back.

I am pretty sure the Prime Minister was not negotiating a new equalization bill when he was at the mall in Saint-Bruno, Quebec. Pretty clearly this is a campaign tour. The Prime Minister's first 100 days have not produced a single original piece of legislation.

The Prime Minister spent 13 years trying to knock off Jean Chrétien. Why did he even bother, if the best he can do is adopt Chrétien's entire legislative agenda?

[Paul Martin, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, it may be the hon. member's vision of this country that the government should stay here in Ottawa, that no member should visit abroad, that the Prime Minister should not reach out and see Canadians. That is certainly not my vision of what this country is all about. Let me simply say--

[The Speaker]

Order, please. We have to be able to hear the questions and answers in the House. I cannot hear the Prime Minister because of all the yelling, and it is important that members who are recognized have the right to speak. The right hon. Prime Minister has the floor. We will hear him.

[Paul Martin, Liberal, LaSalle—Émard, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member wants to know why I visited a mall in Saint-Bruno, Quebec. I live in Quebec.

Immigration

[Christiane Gagnon, Bloc, Québec, QC]

Mr. Speaker, after Mohamed Cherfi was arrested in a Quebec City church, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness defended herself yesterday by blaming the Quebec City police. However, Mr. Cherfi was deported to the United States by the Border Services Agency, not the Quebec City police department. And that agency reports to the federal government, and thus to her.

Can the minister explain why the federal authorities were in such a hurry to deport Mr. Cherfi?

[Anne McLellan, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, all due processes were followed in this case. As I indicated yesterday, it was the Quebec City police that entered the church in question and removed Mr. Cherfi. In fact there was an immigration warrant in place in relation to Mr. Cherfi. That warrant was executed and after that, all due process was followed in relation to his removal.

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

Mr. Speaker, clearly the government is giving the bureaucratic approach precedence over any of its international commitments as far as human rights are concerned.

How can the government deport refugees to Algeria when it is advising its own citizens against going there, and how can it justify its refusal to find a humanitarian solution to Mohamed Cherfi's situation?

[Anne McLellan, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, in fact there has been a recent review of the situation in Algeria. That review was undertaken in consultation with representatives from Citizenship and Immigration Canada. Again, I reiterate that all due process was followed in this case.

Softwood Lumber

[Andy Burton, Canadian Alliance, Skeena, BC]

Mr. Speaker, on May 15 last year, when asked why the softwood lumber aid package money had not been distributed to needy B.C. communities, the then minister for western economic diversification answered, and I quote, “To ensure that proposals are realistic and that they are tested for due diligence”.

On March 8 this year, two days ago, the current minister said, and I quote, “We have started due diligence”. Ten months and the same answer: no money. What is going on?

[Rey D. Pagtakhan, Liberal, Minister of Western Economic Diversification]

Mr. Speaker, I would suggest that the member should listen carefully to the answers given previously. I indicated that due diligence has been put in place, and in fact put in place by my immediate predecessor in an enhanced due diligence process. Yes, the money is flowing.

[Andy Burton, Canadian Alliance, Skeena, BC]

Mr. Speaker, 450 days have passed since the softwood lumber community adjustment fund was announced, almost one and a half years. Local B.C. community leaders almost gave up in disgust as federal bureaucrats wrangled over how to distribute dollars that should have assisted communities many months ago.

Enough is enough. When will the cheques go out to fund approved and deserving community projects? When will they see a cheque?

[Rey D. Pagtakhan, Liberal, Minister of Western Economic Diversification]

Mr. Speaker, $32 million, 83 projects, and money has started to flow. Yesterday I was speaking to a member of the opposition, of the Alliance Party, and I confirmed to him that the funds are flowing to the projects. The money is flowing.

Canadian International Development Agency

[Elinor Caplan, Liberal, Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the hon. minister responsible for the Canadian International Development Agency. Could the minister assure my constituents and all Canadians that the federal government's humanitarian and developmental funding directed to assist and improve the lives of Palestinians and the funding for the United Nations refugee relief association, the aid programs of UNRRA, which is intended for humanitarian assistance, is not being diverted to the Palestinian authority for unauthorized uses that do not support peace?

[Aileen Carroll, Liberal, Minister for International Cooperation]

Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member knows, the main priority of the Government of Canada is to achieve peace and security in the Middle East. As such, the Canadian aid to the Palestinian people is channelled through Canadian agencies and international organizations which have reputable accounting processes, or we also administer them directly through our missions in the region.

CIDA carefully selects our partners in conjunction with federal departments and agencies, as well as with other international donors. The hon. member can be assured that we are confident we are targeting the population--

[The Speaker]

The hon. member for Battlefords—Lloydminster.

Industry

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

Mr. Speaker, the number one issue out there for Canadian industry is to rebuild the bridges with our largest trading partner to the south. Canadians need the Prime Minister to do the job they are paying him for.

Will the Prime Minister put aside the self-serving re-election interests of the Liberal Party, stop hiding from President Bush, deal with him face to face and get on with the job?