House of Commons Hansard #87 of the 38th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was cfia.
Anne McLellan LiberalDeputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Mr. Speaker, I think I have been absolutely clear this afternoon that if Mr. Corbeil's allegations are true, they are absolutely unacceptable. They reveal conduct that cannot be condoned, that is unacceptable and that must be punished to the full extent of the law.
Michel Gauthier Bloc Roberval, QC
Mr. Speaker, we are hearing of awarding contracts against the rules, financial skullduggery, dirty money in the Liberal Party, violation of the administrative rules, violation of Quebec's referendum legislation, violation of the federal Elections Act.
Will the Prime Minister admit that what he needs to say this evening in his message to Quebeckers is that he is ashamed and that he apologizes? He will need to come across as the leader of a country, and not the leader of a party desperately clinging to power, as will probably be the case.
Anne McLellan LiberalDeputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Mr. Speaker, again let me be absolutely clear. If the allegations and assertions made by Mr. Corbeil are proven to be true, if they reveal the kind of conduct of which the hon. member is speaking, there is no one who would not stand in this House and condemn that conduct. It is completely unacceptable, it is wrong and it must be punished to the full extent of the law.
Pauline Picard Bloc Drummond, QC
Mr. Speaker, Claude Boulay claims that the Department of Finance forced him to hire a subcontractor and that this contract for over half a million dollars was awarded untendered. A document addressed to his policy adviser, Karl Littler, mentions that this contract was discussed with the former finance minister at a meeting on December 21, 1995.
How can the Prime Minister say that he did not know anything, when his political staff was informed and departmental staff claim to have discussed this contract with him?
Scott Brison LiberalMinister of Public Works and Government Services
Mr. Speaker, these are allegations, not facts. To get the facts, we must wait for the Gomery commission to table its report.
The only way we will be able to have the truth for Canadians is if we actually respect the independence of the judicial inquiry and wait to have the Gomery report. Justice Gomery is able to analyze all the testimony, much of which is contradictory, and he will ensure that Canadians have the truth they deserve.
The reason there is a Justice Gomery doing his work, getting to the truth, is because we have a Prime Minister who is absolutely committed to getting the truth for Canadians.
Pauline Picard Bloc Drummond, QC
Mr. Speaker, Claude Boulay, who campaigned for the Prime Minister on numerous occasions, revealed this morning that he pocketed a generous 17% commission on that contract, simply for having passed on a contract to Pinnacle.
Why did the Prime Minister turn a blind eye to all the rules, so his dear Claude could pocket many tens of thousands of dollars along the way?
Scott Brison LiberalMinister of Public Works and Government Services
Mr. Speaker, our Prime Minister has been steadfast in his commitment to get to the truth for Canadians. Our Prime Minister has not covered up anything. Our Prime Minister has opened up this issue and is determined to get to the truth for Canadians.
He has put country before party. He has put principle before partisan strategy. That is exactly the opposite of what the members opposite are doing. Our Prime Minister is standing up for Canadians. He wants to get to the truth. They just want to get to the polls.
Vic Toews Conservative Provencher, MB
Mr. Speaker, a former senior Liberal official in Quebec has made some very serious statements that have cast a dark cloud over the Canadian judiciary. Mr. Corbeil claims that the Liberal Party paid off Liberal campaign workers with judicial appointments.
In view of the fundamental role of judges in Canada, what specific actions has the Minister of Justice taken to have this matter of judicial appointments investigated immediately by the appropriate authorities?
Irwin Cotler LiberalMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, if Mr. Corbeil has any evidence, which he said he does not, he can put it before the Gomery commission. As a former attorney general, I would expect that the member opposite would want to respect the rule of law and a judicial commission of inquiry.
Vic Toews Conservative Provencher, MB
Mr. Speaker, we know that Judge Gomery is a judge of the Quebec courts. How is it appropriate for Judge Gomery to look into these kinds of allegations? The minister knows very well that is outside Justice Gomery's jurisdiction. It is not appropriate for Justice Gomery to look at that issue.
Why will the minister not take these very serious allegations to the appropriate authorities for investigation? Let them find the evidence.
Irwin Cotler LiberalMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, because I respect the rule of law, unlike the hon. member opposite.
James Moore Conservative Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam, BC
Mr. Speaker, if the minister respects the rule of law he may want to call the proper authorities to enforce the rule of law when it comes to Liberals breaking the law. That might be an idea.
Yesterday, in response to a question from the Bloc Québécois about lobbying for Cossette, the Minister of Transport said, “I have never been paid for any lobbying whatsoever”.
I am asking him if he ever received money from Mr. Cossette or from Cossette Communication for any reason whatsoever?
John Godfrey LiberalMinister of State (Infrastructure and Communities)
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Transport was extremely clear yesterday. The member should be addressing his concerns to the registrar of lobbyists. We have a registrar of lobbyists. He is an independent officer of this Parliament. The member may make his complaint directly to him.
James Moore Conservative Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam, BC
Mr. Speaker, it is the Minister of Transport who should be answering these questions who, unlike the Prime Minister, chose to show up today.
Sponsorship ProgramOral Question Period
The Speaker
The hon. member for Port Moody--Westwood--Port Coquitlam was here yesterday and he knows that chastisement awaits those who break the rules. Some of his colleagues received it the other day. He would not want to repeat those kinds of mistakes.
His question may be for the Minister of Transport. Perhaps he will put it directly.
James Moore Conservative Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam, BC
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Minister of Transport admitted going to supper with his client from Cossette and Alfonso Gagliano but described it as a social gathering.
I have a very precise question. Did the minister ever arrange a meeting for François Duffar or any member of Cossette Communication with a current or former member of the House?
John Godfrey LiberalMinister of State (Infrastructure and Communities)
Mr. Speaker, the minister was completely clear in his answers to this question yesterday. If the member has a problem, we have a process. There is the registrar of lobbyists, an independent officer of this Parliament, to whom that member should take his charge.
Yasmin Ratansi Liberal Don Valley East, ON
Mr. Speaker, Canada stands on the world stage as a shining example of a tolerant and pluralistic society that welcomes people from diverse ethnic, cultural, linguistic and religious backgrounds to live in harmony.
Could the Minister of Canadian Heritage inform the House of recent developments that would help Canadians share our experience with the rest of the world?
Liza Frulla LiberalMinister of Canadian Heritage and Minister responsible for Status of Women
Mr. Speaker, I am proud to say that on April 18, 2005, the government announced its intention to contribute an endowment of $30 million to help establish the global centre for pluralism.
The people of Canada are proud to be recognized as a tolerant, diverse and accepting society. It is for these reasons that the Aga Khan Foundation chose Canada as an example and asked Canada to spread this important message to the world.
It is this kind of investment that underscores the fundamental differences between us and the official opposition.
Ed Broadbent NDP Ottawa Centre, ON
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Deputy Prime Minister and it refers to an earlier answer that she gave in the House.
Day after day we have learned more details about the trail of missing public money. Day after day ministers of the crown, including the Deputy Prime Minister today, have said that responsible individuals will be punished.
When will a minister of the government acknowledge that virtually all of these individuals are members of the Liberal Party and apologize to the people of Canada for the wrongdoing of the Liberal Party?
Anne McLellan LiberalDeputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Mr. Speaker, I think I have been absolutely clear. If any of the allegations and assertions that have been made in front of Mr. Justice Gomery are found to be true, we do not condone that kind of unacceptable conduct and we have said that it must be punished to the full extent of the law.
No one on this side of the House finds it acceptable or condones that kind of conduct.
Ed Broadbent NDP Ottawa Centre, ON
Mr. Speaker, once again the minister has done it. She has talked about individuals but refuses to acknowledge the collective responsibility for her party.
Is the Prime Minister, who refused earlier to answer these questions in the House, finally going on television tonight to make an apology to the people of Canada for his party's wrongdoing, an apology that he should have made days ago in the House of Commons?
Scott Brison LiberalMinister of Public Works and Government Services
Mr. Speaker, it is our Prime Minister who ended the sponsorship program, who established Justice Gomery's work and who supports Justice Gomery. The Liberal Party is cooperating fully with Justice Gomery. In fact, our auditors are working closely with Justice Gomery's office.
We look forward to that report because tens of thousands of Liberal activists across Canada want to get to the bottom of this because we are defending, not just the reputation of Liberals but the reputation of federalists in Quebec. We are also defending the Canadian taxpayer by getting to the bottom of this issue.
That is what we are doing, getting to the bottom of this issue, not scoring cheap political points.
Jason Kenney Conservative Calgary Southeast, AB
Mr. Speaker, clearly the Minister of Transport is involved in a new Liberal scandal. Yesterday, I asked him a simple question. Today, he was asked the same question, but he did not answer.
So, I will ask the same question for the third time.
John Godfrey LiberalMinister of State (Infrastructure and Communities)
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the response of the Minister of Transport was very clear. The member opposite needs to direct his complaint to the registrar of lobbyists. The registrar is an independent officer of this Parliament and he could explain his decision himself.