House of Commons Hansard #74 of the 38th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was society.

Topics

Conservative Party of CanadaStatements By Members

2:15 p.m.

Liberal

Mark Holland Liberal Ajax—Pickering, ON

Mr. Speaker, I see a Conservative Party that, at any cost, wants to cut taxes while the Liberals have made Canada the only G-7 nation that is debt free. Will that party do that at any cost?

I also see a Conservative Party that wants to roll back minority rights, while the Liberals move forward with a progressive and inclusive social agenda.

As I look at a divided and backward Conservative Party and I contrast it against Liberal accomplishments, I have never been more proud to be Liberal. The Conservatives can keep kicking their chairs in frustration while they still have them to kick.

Tory TornadosStatements By Members

2:15 p.m.

Conservative

Monte Solberg Conservative Medicine Hat, AB

Mr. Speaker, in hockey, players get two minutes for charging. Jean Lafleur was charging the sponsorship program like crazy and got $12 million. There is never a ref around when we need one. However last night the Tory Tornados House of Commons hockey team administered a little hockey justice on behalf of taxpayers everywhere.

We opened a big can of whup ass on the Liberal sponsorships outscoring them 5 to 2.

The rivalries in hockey are tough but seldom do they end in the crushing body checks and sharp elbows we saw last night. Last night was a war between two determined teams of highly skilled athletes played out before 15 cheering fans at the Bell Sensplex.

The victorious Tories were led by our fearless first line centre, young Ben Harper with his three assists, who captured the hearts of all the fans when he led the team around the arena with the trophy.

Could this be a sign of things to come, Mr. Speaker?

Perhaps a sign for the next election, when we will be led by Ben's father, this man right here, to victory.

Tory TornadosStatements By Members

2:15 p.m.

The Speaker

I hesitate to list the number of rules broken on that one. I always thought the member for Medicine Hat would want to set a good example.

We will proceed now with oral questions if members are properly dressed.

Air-IndiaOral Question Period

March 24th, 2005 / 2:15 p.m.

Calgary Southwest Alberta

Conservative

Stephen Harper ConservativeLeader of the Opposition

Mr. Speaker, previously sealed Air-India documents have just been released. These documents were not heard in court. They raise more questions about the investigation.

A growing number of Canadians, including members of the Prime Minister's own cabinet, want answers.

Will the Prime Minister overrule his Deputy Prime Minister and commit to a full public inquiry so that we know all the facts if there is no successful prosecution in this case?

Air-IndiaOral Question Period

2:15 p.m.

LaSalle—Émard Québec

Liberal

Paul Martin LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member knows, the Deputy Prime Minister has not only offered to meet with the families but she has asked to do so in order to identify with the families, those who are most concerned, what the fundamental questions are that they, as well as the government, feel ought to be addressed. She wants to do this. What we really should do is determine what the questions are and then we should go about answering them.

The EnvironmentOral Question Period

2:15 p.m.

Calgary Southwest Alberta

Conservative

Stephen Harper ConservativeLeader of the Opposition

Mr. Speaker, in fairness to the Prime Minister, I think after 20 years the families know what questions they want answered. They just want some action.

I also want to raise questions about the budget implementation act that was tabled today. We have several concerns on this, most notably the amendments that would give the government unlimited power to implement Kyoto without ever bringing a plan to Parliament. This is a back door manoeuvre to give the government a blank cheque. It is a dangerous way of proceeding. It will certainly not have the support of this party.

If the government has a Kyoto plan, why does it refuse to present it to Canadians?

The EnvironmentOral Question Period

2:15 p.m.

Saint-Laurent—Cartierville Québec

Liberal

Stéphane Dion LiberalMinister of the Environment

Mr. Speaker, the Kyoto plan will be made public shortly. It will be a very credible plan, which will help the Canadian economy become stronger so that the environment may be respected and greenhouse gas emissions reduced considerably for the good of our country and the planet.

The SenateOral Question Period

2:15 p.m.

Calgary Southwest Alberta

Conservative

Stephen Harper ConservativeLeader of the Opposition

Mr. Speaker, if the government has a plan, it will table it and get support for it in this House, not try to slip it in the back door through budget implementation legislation.

Today, the Prime Minister gave us another example of a promise made, promise broken. His first Senate appointments include three from Alberta, Albertans, none of whom were chosen democratically by the people of Alberta.

Why does the Prime Minister not just come clean, treat people as if they had some intelligence, admit that he has never had and has no intention of ever bringing about meaningful Senate reform?

The SenateOral Question Period

2:20 p.m.

LaSalle—Émard Québec

Liberal

Paul Martin LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, first, I want to say that those who have been appointed to the Senate are outstanding Canadians. They are outstanding Canadians who, in the Senate, will represent both the government and the opposition parties. I think that is incumbent upon us in that way.

In terms of Senate reform, I have stated time and again that I believe in Senate reform but I do not believe that it should be done in a piecemeal way. It should be done in a comprehensive way, dealing not only with the method of choosing senators, but also dealing with the equality provisions that are required.

The SenateOral Question Period

2:20 p.m.

Conservative

Jason Kenney Conservative Calgary Southeast, AB

Mr. Speaker, today's Senate appointments show that the Prime Minister cannot be trusted. It is clear that his promises to fix the democratic deficit were a pathetic sham, as he continues the same old Liberal patronage racket, showing contempt for the democratic process. Today he appointed three hand-picked senators from Alberta, deliberately ignoring the three elected candidates who were elected by the people of Alberta to represent them.

Why is this Prime Minister so arrogant that he thinks he knows better than the people of Alberta who should represent them in this Parliament?

The SenateOral Question Period

2:20 p.m.

Ottawa—Vanier Ontario

Liberal

Mauril Bélanger LiberalDeputy Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, the government has stated time and again that it is quite open to Senate reform, but we will do this in a manner that addresses all of the reform needs of the Senate.

Currently the provinces are engaged, through the Council of the Federation, in a discussion among themselves. I believe we should allow the provinces to come to a consensus, and if indeed they do, the government is quite prepared to look at that consensus in order to proceed with Senate reform that is not a piecemeal approach to the Senate.

The SenateOral Question Period

2:20 p.m.

Conservative

Jason Kenney Conservative Calgary Southeast, AB

Mr. Speaker, what is it about democracy that the Prime Minister does not understand? The Senate does not belong to the Prime Minister. It does not belong to the Liberal Party of Canada. The Senate belongs to the people of Canada and should be filled with their elected representatives. That is why hundreds of thousands of Albertans went to the polls and chose their representatives for the Senate.

Why does the Prime Minister have such complete contempt for Albertans and for all Canadians that he puts Liberal patronage ahead of democratic reform?

The SenateOral Question Period

2:20 p.m.

Ottawa—Vanier Ontario

Liberal

Mauril Bélanger LiberalDeputy Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, members of that party should understand that the provinces are engaged in this. We do not understand their problem with allowing the provinces to have a say in Senate reform. If we are ever going to achieve it, the provinces must be included. They are currently engaged in that.

In terms of appointments, one-third of the appointments made today were made to the opposition benches of the Senate. These members should be welcoming their new members with open arms, just as we will welcome ours with open arms.

Sponsorship ProgramOral Question Period

2:20 p.m.

Bloc

Gilles Duceppe Bloc Laurier, QC

Mr. Speaker, Groupaction had a third party pay $11,556 in dirty money to Jacques Roy, a Liberal organizer in the Montreal area. The causal link was so obvious that, less than a week after this disturbing revelation, the Liberal Party cancelled Jacques Roy's contract without waiting for the Gomery commission to finish its work.

Since it was possible to take action without delay in the case of Jacques Roy, why does the Prime Minister not insist on having the Liberal Party pay back this dirty money immediately?

Sponsorship ProgramOral Question Period

2:20 p.m.

LaSalle—Émard Québec

Liberal

Paul Martin LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, first, the leader of the Bloc Québécois must know that the Liberal government set up the Gomery commission. We did so because we wanted answers and we are going to get them.

Second, we have said from the beginning that any inappropriately received money would be paid back. That is that.

Sponsorship ProgramOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

Bloc

Gilles Duceppe Bloc Laurier, QC

Mr. Speaker, before setting up the Gomery commission, the Liberal Party set up the whole dirty money machine. That is what it did.

Before the election, the Minister of Transport was in a much bigger hurry. On March 3, 2004, he said, and I quote, “We want to know about all the contributions we might have had from those people”. His first reaction was, again I quote, “to deposit an equivalent amount in a special account”, immediately, so as not to take any chances, because according to him, “the Liberal Party cannot run an election campaign with dirty money”, which it did anyway—

Sponsorship ProgramOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

The Speaker

The hon. Minister of Public Works and Government Services.

Sponsorship ProgramOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

Kings—Hants Nova Scotia

Liberal

Scott Brison LiberalMinister of Public Works and Government Services

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister deserves our respect for his courageous actions. He put an end to the sponsorship program, he set up the Gomery commission, he instituted proceedings to recover the money. The Prime Minister promised to take action. He made that promise, he kept that promise and he will continue to keep his promises.

Sponsorship ProgramOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

Bloc

Michel Guimond Bloc Charlevoix—Montmorency, QC

Mr. Speaker, when the Minister of Transport decided that campaign contributions from agencies involved in the sponsorship scandal should be repaid to taxpayers, he wanted to open a special account, saying, “I am inclined to put the government's legal counsel in charge of this”.

Now that the government knows full well that sponsorship funds were paid to the Liberal Party, why, pending the repayment of these funds to taxpayers, does the government not set up a special account for this dirty money, to prevent the government from going to the polls for a fourth time in a row?

Sponsorship ProgramOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

Kings—Hants Nova Scotia

Liberal

Scott Brison LiberalMinister of Public Works and Government Services

Mr. Speaker, these are allegations, not facts. It would not be responsible of the government or the party to take action based on allegations. We must wait for all the facts before acting. That is the promise we made and we intend to keep it.

Sponsorship ProgramOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

Bloc

Michel Guimond Bloc Charlevoix—Montmorency, QC

Mr. Speaker, there is no guarantee there will not be another election before the Gomery commission can table its report. As a result, there is no guarantee that the government would not run another campaign on dirty sponsorship money.

Will the government admit that the only honourable solution is to open a special account for the sponsorship funds pending the tabling of the Gomery report?

Sponsorship ProgramOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

Kings—Hants Nova Scotia

Liberal

Scott Brison LiberalMinister of Public Works and Government Services

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has made himself clear. The party has made itself clear. If the party received funds from agencies or individuals who are found guilty, the party has volunteered to repay taxpayers. However, this is not possible until all the facts are known.

Canada-U.S. RelationsOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

NDP

Jack Layton NDP Toronto—Danforth, ON

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister goes to Texas and comes back with nothing on BSE, nothing on softwood and nothing on Devils Lake. Instead we have the pursuit of the hidden deep integration strategy with George Bush, although it is not actually that hidden. John Manley is very clear about it. He thinks Canada has too much sovereignty and we should pursue deep integration.

Mr. Manley was the first choice of the Prime Minister to be the ambassador to the United States to supervise the whole project. Did the Prime Minister know the views of Mr. Manley before he offered him the job?

Canada-U.S. RelationsOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

LaSalle—Émard Québec

Liberal

Paul Martin LiberalPrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, three sovereign nations came together a decade ago to sign NAFTA and it has been of enormous benefit to Canada. Given the evolution of the world's economy, the rise of China and India, it is perfectly understandable that those same three sovereign nations would want to make North America stronger and more competitive, providing better jobs and a higher quality of life to their citizens.

It is beyond me why the leader of the NDP, instead of engaging in a serious debate on this matter, continues to go over the top.

Canada-U.S. RelationsOral Question Period

2:25 p.m.

NDP

Jack Layton NDP Toronto—Danforth, ON

Mr. Speaker, we know that the Prime Minister has never been a great defender of Canadian sovereignty. We have not seen that in his past practices and it is clear once again in his pursuit with George Bush of discussions of deep integration.

He never promised Canadians that he would pursue the George Bush agenda for North America. In fact, he left precisely the opposite impression with Canadians throughout the election. Why would the Prime Minister have offered a job to Mr. Manley to negotiate deep integration if he did not believe in it?