House of Commons Hansard #252 of the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was chair.
John Baird ConservativeMinister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Speaker, let me once again be very clear. This issue has already been referred to two independent authorities that will appropriately look into this matter and report back to Parliament and to Canadians. This government looks forward to the findings of those two independent reports.
Craig Scott NDP Toronto—Danforth, ON
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Justice may be aware that section 16 of the Parliament of Canada Act states that every person who gives, offers or promises to any member of the Senate any compensation for services relating to a proceeding, contract, claim or controversy before the Senate is guilty of an indictable offence.
Does the Minister of Justice believe the PM's former chief of staff may have committed this crime when he gave Senator Duffy $90,000 as part of a cover-up deal?
John Baird ConservativeMinister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Speaker, once again, it will come as no surprise to my colleague, the member opposite, that I reject much of the premise of his preamble.
Let me just say this. The Prime Minister was not aware of this reimbursement until after it became public through media reports. The chief of staff has tendered his resignation. There are two independent authorities looking into this matter. We will allow them the time to do their work and we will await their findings.
Craig Scott NDP Toronto—Danforth, ON
Mr. Speaker, I would like to try again with the Minister of Justice.
Let us remind ourselves that the PMO handed out $90,000 to keep a senator quiet. We have another provision that is relevant. Section 119 of the Criminal Code states that any person who offers an office holder any money, valuable consideration or employment in respect of anything done or omitted by that person in their official capacity is guilty of an offence.
Does the minister agree that the Prime Minister's former chief of staff may have committed this crime?
John Baird ConservativeMinister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Speaker, once again, I reject much of the premise of the question from the member opposite.
Let me say a number of things. One, the Prime Minister became aware of this issue last week after media reports surfaced. Right now, there are two independent authorities looking into this matter. Let us give them the opportunity to do that.
Alexandrine Latendresse NDP Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC
Mr. Speaker, either the Prime Minister knew that a report on his caucus members was coming and that his chief of staff had arranged a secret $90,000 deal to let Senator Duffy off the hook, or the Prime Minister knowingly chose to ignore the information.
It is either a cover-up or incompetence. We all know that the Prime Minister is a control freak. This story reeks of cover-up.
Could we at least know when the Prime Minister was informed of the content of the report? At that point, what directives were given?
John Baird ConservativeMinister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Speaker, the other place had auditors come in. A committee of that place looked into this matter. It came to the conclusion that these expenses should not have been claimed. No one in this government believes these expenses should have been claimed, and that undoubtedly reflects the conclusion of the report at the end of the day.
I understand the report did reflect that a reimbursement had been made, which was obviously factual.
Alexandre Boulerice NDP Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC
Mr. Speaker, in a one-year period, the Prime Minister has lost three ministers, two senators and one chief of staff to scandals.
The Conservatives promised to clean house in Ottawa, but it turns out that they are just as crooked as the Liberals before them. The only way for the Conservatives to get out of this is to start telling the truth instead of claiming in unison that they are upset.
Nigel Wright must explain his actions. Senator Duffy must disclose what was in that secret deal. Canadians deserve to know the whole truth.
Will the government help us shed light on this scandal or will it keep pressing on without answering any questions?
John Baird ConservativeMinister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Speaker, in this place, I have answered the questions that the members opposite have put forward.
There are two independent authorities that are looking into this matter. Let us give them the time to do that work. We look forward to their findings.
Alexandre Boulerice NDP Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC
Mr. Speaker, first there was the RCMP visit to Conservative offices and the in and out scandal, and now things keep getting worse for the Conservative government.
Here is another one of their schemes: the airwaves are now inundated with ads touting a jobs program that does not even exist yet. Negotiations with the provinces are ongoing. Parliament has not approved it. It is as though the government were advertising Senate reform.
Why are the Conservatives spending taxpayers' money on promoting a program that may never see the light of day?
Kellie Leitch ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and to the Minister of Labour
Mr. Speaker, we want to ensure that, moving forward, the provinces have an opportunity to negotiate with us and to put in the hands of employers and employees the opportunity to train.
We know we have skills mismatches across the country. We know Canadians need opportunities to be trained. Our initiative is to help employers be matched with employees. I was in B.C. just this last week. They were talking about how people were walking in asking for this opportunity, because we want to link Canadians with jobs.
That is what we are about. We are focused on the economy and creating jobs for Canadians, unlike the opposition.
Robert Chisholm NDP Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS
Mr. Speaker, here is another example of how the Conservative government works. An investigation has revealed that at ACOA, folks decided to rig the deal so that Kevin MacAdam, a failed Conservative candidate and former political aid to the Minister of National Defence, would get the job.
ACOA is all about advancing economic development for Atlantic Canada; it is not a job bank for Conservatives.
Will the Conservatives finally come clean about their role in this job-rigging scandal and subsequent cover-up of the four senior ACOA executives?
Gail Shea ConservativeMinister of National Revenue and Minister for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
Mr. Speaker, the independent investigation by the Public Service Commission did not find evidence of any wrongdoing or influence on the part of the ministers or political staff in this matter. The Public Service Commission report clearly states, “No evidence was found to support allegations of political influence in the ACOA investigations”.
ACOA has taken action on the recommendations of the Public Service Commission.
Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB
Mr. Speaker, it was in 2005 that the Prime Minister puffed up his chest and said “If anybody violates the public trust under my watch, they are going to prison”. Now his tune has changed. “All governments make mistakes” is what he says today.
Was it a mistake to continue to hand out plum patronage appointments to their pork-barrelling friends? Was it just a mistake to run a bunch of self-serving ads for programs that do not even exist? Was it a mistake to have the Prime Minister's Office cut a $90,000 cheque to buy the silence of a Conservative senator?
The public trust has been violated. It has been abused. In fact, Conservatives have stomped all over it. What happened to the promise they made in 2005? Who is going to jail?
John Baird ConservativeMinister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister was not aware of this reimbursement until after it became public through media reports. I cannot make it any clearer.
This morning the Prime Minister spoke to Canadians and to some parliamentarians and was very clear. People who come to government should have the public interest first and foremost as their priority, and those who want to advance their private interests will be shown the door, as they properly should.
Dominic LeBlanc Liberal Beauséjour, NB
Mr. Speaker, ordinary Canadians do not have any special, secret deals to clear their debt. The question is simple: did the Prime Minister ask if the arrangement complied with Senate rules, the Conflict of Interest Act, the Criminal Code and the Parliament of Canada Act, which state that prohibited monetary compensation cannot be offered to a senator and that anyone who makes such an offer can be imprisoned?
John Baird ConservativeMinister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister was not aware of this reimbursement until after it became public through media reports.
This issue is already before two independent officers to review the situation. Let us give them the time to do that. We look forward to the outcome of those reviews.
Dominic LeBlanc Liberal Beauséjour, NB
Mr. Speaker, ordinary Canadians cannot get their debts wiped out and their records whitewashed by the Prime Minister's Office.
What mechanisms did the government use to “go easy” on Senator Duffy as laid out in the agreement between the two lawyers? What authority did the Prime Minister have to supposedly promise a sanitized audit report, allegedly an independent evaluation, of inappropriate expenses?
John Baird ConservativeMinister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Speaker, how could the Prime Minister have expectations on a reimbursement that he was not aware of until it became public? It is just that simple.
The Prime Minister was not aware of the payment, as I have said. The member opposite talks of some legal document I am not aware of. My understanding is that no such document exists.
Dominic LeBlanc Liberal Beauséjour, NB
Mr. Speaker, ordinary Canadians do not have wealthy Conservative friends who can pay their debts and then whitewash official reports.
When was the Prime Minister made aware that Conservative senators on the audit committee had been asked to delete certain sections of the report pertaining to Senator Duffy's wrongdoing?
Could he tell us who gave that order to the Conservative senators? Was it the Prime Minister, his chief of staff or the government leader in the Senate?
John Baird ConservativeMinister of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Speaker, it is very clear from the committee's report that the committee concludes that these expenses should not have been claimed. No one on the committee disputes that. No one in the government disputes that. That, in our judgment, is a fact.
The reality is, and I understand this report did reflect, that a reimbursement was made. This issue has been referred to two independent bodies. Let us await their findings.
Chris Charlton NDP Hamilton Mountain, ON
Mr. Speaker, it is bad enough that the Conservatives stack EI boards with patronage appointments, but it also turns out they are making money off them.
Many of their appointees contribute money to the Conservative Party. Treasury Board guidelines and the PCO are clear. These appointees must avoid all political activities, including making donations.
What action has the government taken to investigate what appears to be a clear violation of the rules? Will the government ensure that the Conservative Party returns these donations?
Peter Van Loan ConservativeLeader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, the boards in question no longer exist, and they were recently replaced by our government with the Social Security Tribunal. Members of the new Social Security Tribunal are appointed by merit. They undergo a rigorous selection process, and they have to meet significant experience and competency criteria that are required to do that job.
Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet NDP Hochelaga, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives claim that they want to avoid political donations that contravene the rules, but their solution is to appoint their defeated candidates to positions that they are in no way qualified to hold. Those who are appointed simply say that the appointments are rewards.
Just like the former Conservative organizer in Quebec, another defeated Conservative candidate, Dominique Bellemare, was recently given a spot on the Social Security Tribunal as a consolation prize.
Since they are unable to stop handing out partisan appointments, will the Conservatives apply the ethics rules and force those they put in place to stop these political donations?
Peter Van Loan ConservativeLeader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, as I have already said, the boards in question no longer exist. Our government replaced them with the Social Security Tribunal.
Members of the Social Security Tribunal are appointed by merit and must undergo a rigorous selection process to ensure that they have the required experience and skills needed for the job.