Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Minister of Labour and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec tried to justify hiring Normand Forest as his senior policy adviser. I would remind the House that Mr. Forest was given a contract worth $24,000 for 24 days of work.
The minister went further yesterday, even raising a point of order to indicate that a proper contract had been signed before the hiring and that everything was made public on the website.
I consulted the website. It indicates that Normand Forest Communication received $1,000 a day between March 7 and March 31, 2006, but that Normand Forest was hired on March 14, 2006—I repeat, March 14, 2006.
What is this trick with the bonus? What is the minister trying to hide from us?