Mr. Speaker, I rise today to oppose the motion:
That, in the opinion of the House, the government should end its delays and immediately commence the public inquiry into the Mulroney-Schreiber affair.
This government opposes this motion for a number of reasons. The House of Commons ethics committee has been conducting hearings into the so-called Mulroney-Schreiber affair since last fall. Hearings were held in late November, December, January and February. These included a review of the former prime minister's relationship with Mr. Schreiber and the alleged cash payments. Mr. Schreiber and the Right Hon. Brian Mulroney have both testified before the committee. After three months of hearings, the committee is expected to table its report in the House today.
On November 14, 2007, before the ethics committee stated that it would hold hearings, the Prime Minister announced the appointment of David Johnston as an independent adviser. Mr. Johnston was appointed to conduct an independent review of the allegations surrounding the financial dealings between Mr. Schreiber and the former prime minister and to make recommendations for an appropriate mandate for a public inquiry.
The independent adviser conducted a great deal of original research, analyzed potentially relevant terms of reference for the public inquiry, and published his thoughtful report in January of this year. Mr. Johnston has accepted, at the request of the Prime Minister, to follow through with the recommendations for the inquiry after the standing committee finishes its work.
The public inquiry has an important aim: to let Canadians hear from their former prime minister about his dealings with Mr. Schreiber, to get to the bottom of the matter once and for all, to discover the truth, and to ascertain if any wrongdoing did occur and what lessons can be learned.
The Right Hon. Brian Mulroney appeared before the ethics committee and made his statement and answered the initial questions of the committee members. It is important that any public inquiry be able to build upon Mr. Mulroney's testimony. The inquiry will not be open-ended or called to review ground that has already been extensively reviewed in other investigations. The purpose of the public inquiry will be to establish facts that remain unexamined.
There are clearly unanswered questions in the so-called Mulroney-Schreiber affair and we on this side of the House want answers to those questions as much as anyone else. As I noted before, we need to wait for Mr. Johnston's recommendations for the inquiry.
It is well established that a public inquiry is neither a criminal trial nor a civil action to determine liability. It is a process by which facts are found and the public can be informed and the recommendations for corrective action can be considered and made. Rushing into the process by starting the public inquiry stands to gain nothing, but risks losing any chance, any chance at all, of getting to the truth.
As courts and commentators have cautioned in the past, investigations and inquiries must proceed carefully with due process to avoid excessive costs, duplication of effort, delay and unduly rigid procedures or lack of focus.
Before I conclude, I would like to digress very quickly and say this motion brings to mind one of Aesop's fables, The Tortoise and the Hare. I am sure we are all familiar with that story. The hare was forever boasting about how he could run faster than anyone else and was always teasing the tortoise for its slowness. One day the tortoise challenged the hare to a race. The hare was convinced he could win easily, but as we all know, he was beaten by the slow and steady tortoise.
The motion in front of the House today reminds me of this fable because I am wondering what the rush is. Why start a public inquiry now without waiting for Mr. Johnston's independent advice on the terms of the inquiry? This is an old story. It is about setting history straight. It is about getting the facts right. What is the rush? We should not act in haste. We should proceed slowly and ensure that the so-called Mulroney-Schreiber affair is uncovered and the truth is known once and for all. As the tortoise said at the end of Aesop's fable, “slowly does it every time”.