House of Commons Hansard #58 of the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was growth.
Pierre Poilievre ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and to the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member knows very well that for hundreds of years, the principle of ministerial accountability has been paramount here in the House and in its committees. We will continue to respect that principle in order to improve and build a Canada where politicians are accountable.
Carole Freeman Bloc Châteauguay—Saint-Constant, QC
Mr. Speaker, I would remind my colleague that the law is the law, and no one is above the law.
The government's game is very clear. It is creating a crisis to be able to say that Parliament is not working, while failing to mention that it is the one responsible for the crisis. The height of cynicism in this whole affair will probably be when Dimitri Soudas reappears after his weeks-long game of hide-and-seek and the government announces a prorogation or election because Parliament cannot do its work.
Is that not the government's game, creating an artificial crisis to serve its own partisan interests?
Pierre Poilievre ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and to the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs
Mr. Speaker, no.
Jack Layton NDP Toronto—Danforth, ON
Mr. Speaker, I would like to welcome back the Prime Minister from his save the banks tour. Too bad he could not spend as much time saving the mothers and children of the world as he did saving the banks, but I guess that is what happens when one reopens the abortion debate.
We also hope that he brought back Dimitri Soudas, his director of communications, because there is a subpoena waiting for him. Could the Prime Minister tell us whether he is going to ensure that his communications director obeys the law, receives the subpoena, and shows up where he is supposed to, to be accountable to the House of Commons?
Stephen Harper ConservativePrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, let me reply to the preamble of that question.
What we are doing is ensuring that the Canadian banking system, which is the strongest in the world, is protected from unfair punitive measures. Canadian consumers and the Canadian economy have paid the price of a strong regulatory system that protected us through this crisis. We will not allow this country, its consumers or its families to be penalized for doing what is right.
We have a strong sector in this country. We are going to protect it.
Jack Layton NDP Toronto—Danforth, ON
Mr. Speaker, he is protecting the banks with such huge corporate tax cuts that they can give themselves and their executives billions of dollars in bonuses that would be enough to deal with the women and children's health crisis.
He is setting a bad example by wasting public funds to make the G20 a three-day party beside a fake lake. There is no excuse and the government's explanations do not hold up.
Does the Prime Minister realize this?
Stephen Harper ConservativePrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, the money is not being spent on a fake lake. The money is being spent on a pavilion to promote tourism in Canada. It is supported by all the spokespersons of that industry. This is an unparalleled opportunity given that thousands of guests from Canada and abroad will be attending. We intend to promote tourism in our country.
Jack Layton NDP Toronto—Danforth, ON
Mr. Speaker, the fact is that fake lakegate is infuriating Canadians. That is because the Conservatives went and put a conference in a place that it would not fit, so they are now having to scramble with TV screens and fake lakes.
Instead of doing that and spending money on these things, they could have, for example, made sure that Inuit mothers had a place to go in their own communities to give birth.
Instead of throwing $1 billion at building barriers around the city because they chose that location, they could have invested in strong maternal health globally and taken some real leadership.
Why--
Stephen Harper ConservativePrime Minister
Mr. Speaker, of course, as we have said, the vast majority of costs are for security arrangements that are similar to other summits and these are essential.
That said, when it comes to housing for people in the north, when it comes to health care for Canadians, when it comes to maternal and child health around the world, this government is investing.
Unfortunately, whenever we do so, the NDP takes pride in voting against every single one of these measures. For once we would like to see the NDP stand up in this House and actually vote for something that helps real people.
Siobhan Coady Liberal St. John's South—Mount Pearl, NL
Mr. Speaker, in the face of public anger over the G8 wasteful spending, the Minister of Industry first tried to whitewash the $400,000 restoration for a sunken steamboat, saying it was not a G8 project, that it came from a different slush fund. Then yesterday, the Minister of Foreign Affairs said the project received no federal money at all.
Confusion along with mismanagement reigns supreme with this government. Is the minister saying he cancelled funding for the SS Bigwin or is it an attempt to mislead Canadians on this Conservative billion dollar boondoggle?
Lawrence Cannon ConservativeMinister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Speaker, as the Prime Minister just mentioned, a large part of these expenses are related to security features and security factors. That is important.
There is also an important amount of money that has been addressed, much in the same way as we have done so through the economic action plan, Canada's plan to ensure that this government and this country picks up and ensures that we do not fall back into a recession.
We have stimulated the economy. That is part of those projects that are available from coast to coast for every government to be able to fund. We have done that.
Siobhan Coady Liberal St. John's South—Mount Pearl, NL
Mr. Speaker, that is not all. The Minister of Foreign Affairs also denied that G8 funds went to washrooms located 20 kilometres away from the summit site. Yet, a June 2009 announcement by the Minister of Industry clearly stated the washrooms received $270,000 of federal money from the G8 infrastructure fund.
Instead of misleading Canadians, when will the government come clean on this Conservative billion dollar boondoggle?
Lawrence Cannon ConservativeMinister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Speaker, I have just explained to my colleagues in this House that indeed, we were able to come forward with infrastructure money to ensure that through Canada's economic action plan we were able to fund projects that have been presented by communities and regional governments.
We have partnered with them, much in the same way as we have partnered with governments from coast to coast to coast to ensure that Canada's economic action plan functions correctly and ensures that we do create the jobs, and we get on the right side of our economic—
The Speaker Liberal Peter Milliken
Order. There seems to be excessive noise in the House today. It is very difficult to hear the responses and the questions. I would urge hon. members to restrain themselves a little. It is only Tuesday. The hon. member for Westmount—Ville-Marie.
Marc Garneau Liberal Westmount—Ville-Marie, QC
Mr. Speaker, their justification for this wasteful lake is completely ridiculous. The Minister of Industry says that this lake is a reflection of Canada. That is ridiculous. This lake is a reflection of Conservative waste, and all this waste reflects the Conservatives' incompetence and partisanship. It is quite frankly shameful.
Who needs this fake lake inside a convention centre? Who can justify this $2 million expense? That is ridiculous.
Lawrence Cannon ConservativeMinister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned earlier, the project my colleague referred to cost $57,000. It is part of a series of programs to promote the country during the visit by these heads of state.
We are doing this because we are proud to showcase the attractions that have made Canada renowned throughout the world and we want to ensure that we can do so—
Marc Garneau Liberal Westmount—Ville-Marie, QC
Mr. Speaker, we now understand the origin of the biggest financial mess in Canadian history, the $1 billion mess, the Conservative mess. We could have built three coliseums in Quebec City with the billion dollars.
All that money for a summit that will ignore Canadians' priorities because of the Prime Minister's program that denies both climate change and women's right to choose.
Why are they being so arrogant with taxpayers' money?
Lawrence Cannon ConservativeMinister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Speaker, during these two summits, Canada will be welcoming news media, heads of government and delegations. We are seizing this opportunity to promote our country. That is what we are doing and we are doing it in such a way that we will put Canada's best foot forward. That does have a cost. There are costs associated with security, and we are paying those costs.
Michel Guimond Bloc Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord, QC
Mr. Speaker, in October 2009, the Conservatives claimed to have burned its bridges to Giulio Maturi, a political organizer with a checkered past. But we have learned that this individual is still involved with the Conservative Party. He was involved in organizing a fundraising brunch in Pierrefonds last weekend. The Minister of Foreign Affairs was the keynote speaker.
How can the Prime Minister's political lieutenant explain the clandestine return of Mr. Maturi, a political organizer whose schemes have been condemned?
Christian Paradis ConservativeMinister of Natural Resources
Mr. Speaker, my colleague was telling the truth. Mr. Maturi has not been employed by the Conservative Party since October 2009 or even earlier.
Michel Guimond Bloc Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord, QC
Mr. Speaker, there is no question that he is no longer working for them. But he does organize fundraising cocktail parties.
In the past, in the Labonté affair, Maturi was denounced for wanting to have the salaries of four political organizers paid for by private companies. We also remember that he was mixed up in Senator Carignan's shady funding and in a fundraising activity that led to the Federal Bridge Corporation in Montreal awarding a contract to a firm linked to Conservative Senator Housakos.
How can the Conservatives cozy up to an organizer who has been involved in—