Debates of May 27th, 2013

National Defence

[Vic Toews, Conservative, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, this is the same individual who indicates that politicians should not get involved in investigative matters. My office does not get involved in investigative matters, but the conclusions that were drawn in that story are totally incorrect.

Ethics

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Papineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister and his office are accountable to the House. Therefore, the Liberals are moving a motion today in the ethics committee to study the scandal facing the PMO and to offer the Prime Minister and Nigel Wright an opportunity to bring transparency to this issue.

Will the government encourage Conservative members on this committee to stand up for accountability and support the motion?

[James Moore, Conservative, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages]

Mr. Speaker, of course, the ethics committee is looking into this, as is the ethics commissioner, as is the Senate office of ethics, and that is where these matters will be addressed.

For the Liberal leader, it is kind of interesting to see him stand in the House and pretend as though he actually cares about Senate reform because he does not. He made so very clearly this weekend that he does not believe in Senate reform because “We have 24 senators in Quebec and there are only six for Alberta and British Columbia. That benefits us. It is an advantage for Quebec”.

All Canadians should be served by national institutions and the Liberal leader should stop dividing Canadians again and again over these matters.

41st General Election

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Papineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians, especially western Canadians, believe in accountability. The government does not—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Order, please. I will ask once again for members to hold off. The member for Papineau is putting the question. I would like to be able to hear it.

The hon. member for Papineau.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Papineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, western Canadians believe in accountability. The government does not. That is what is bothering Canadians, and western Canadians specifically.

In fact, last week, Justice Mosley ruled that the Conservative Party database was used to commit widespread election fraud and that, in typical pattern for the government, the Conservative Party did everything it could, to quote the judge, “to block these proceedings by any means”.

Why did the government engage in “trench warfare” to prevent the truth from coming out?

[James Moore, Conservative, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages]

Mr. Speaker, western Canadians do believe in accountability and that is why they threw out the Liberals in the last three elections.

It is a sad fact, but out of 36 seats in British Columbia, there are two Liberals. Out of all the seats in Alberta, there are zero. In Saskatchewan there is one. In Manitoba there is one.

Western Canadians understand what it is when they hear Liberal leaders say things like this, “Canada isn't doing well right now because it's Albertans who control our...agenda”. That is what the Liberal leader said.

Do not worry, western Canadians know accountability and they will hold him accountable for what he has been saying.

Ethics

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Papineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, western Canadians thought they were electing a government to stand up for them. What they got instead was a government that would stand up only for itself and its friends. That is what is bothering western Canadians.

Last week, it was clear that the Prime Minister does not believe it is his responsibility to answer for actions taken within his own office, even by his own chief of staff.

What happened to the accountability and transparency they crowed about?

[James Moore, Conservative, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages]

Mr. Speaker, that is completely untrue. It was the Prime Minister who, last week, responded to questions. He is here this week to answer questions.

Back to the issue of the member for Papineau lecturing western Canadians about what western Canadians really want, it is really quite something. That is the same Liberal leader who said, “Canadians who only have the capacity to speak one of our two official languages are ‘lazy’”. These are these are the words of the Liberal Party.

Time and time again he takes pot shots at the west and then comes to the House and pretends he is defending its interests. Western Canadians know better. That is why they have voted time and time again to re-elect Conservatives to ensure we are the government of our country.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister should not be shy. He knows the Liberals will defend Senate entitlements, but the New Democrats will stand up for the taxpayer. That is the difference.

Senator Tkachuk was called by the Prime Minister's Office about the—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Order, please. This is taking up a lot of time. I urge members to hold off. The member for Timmins—James Bay has the floor and I would like to be able to hear him.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

The members are sounding suddenly very leaderless over there, Mr. Speaker.

Senator Tkachuk was called by the Prime Minister's Office about the Duffy affair and Senator Tkachuk said because “the scandal was hurting us politically”. Nigel Wright then wrote the $90,000 secret cheque and Senator Tkachuk then tipped off Duffy about the inappropriate Florida per diem.

Who went back and briefed the Prime Minister about how Duffy's problems were suddenly being resolved? Who else in the office was helping the Prime Minister on this file?

[James Moore, Conservative, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages]

Mr. Speaker, it is interesting to have a New Democrat today of all days stand before the House in full sobriety and say that the NDP believes in defending taxpayers.

We know there are two NDP members of Parliament who have not filed and have not paid their taxes, one of them to the tune of $60,000. In fact, the revenue critic for the NDP is one of the people who did not pay taxes to Revenue Canada.

There are so many jokes that come to mind about the NDP that I do not know where to begin, but the fact is the NDP do not stand up for taxpayers as those members are showing by their own behaviour.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the member is doing a great audition for leader, but I would like him to tell his peekaboo Prime Minister to stop hiding from Canadians. He needs to start showing some accountability.

It was the Prime Minister's chief of staff who was involved in writing what may have been an illegal $90,000 cheque and the senator involved in the investigation tells us he was called by the Prime Minister's Office and he changed the audit report. These are not rogue operatives. This was not a one-man job.

Who else in the Prime Minister's Office was involved in trying to deal with the political fallout from the Senate scandal? Does the member know that? He could be leader then.

[James Moore, Conservative, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages]

Mr. Speaker, Nigel Wright made it clear in his statements to the public when he resigned as chief of staff that he acted alone. If the member does not believe that, the ethics commissioner is examining this matter.

What is more important on the Senate is that the House move forward with Senate reform, the two pieces of legislation we have before the House. If the NDP members believe in reforming the Senate, let us do that. If they believe in accountability, they will ensure that their NDP colleagues pay their taxes like all Canadians have to do.

[Alexandre Boulerice, NDP, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we have so much respect for taxpayers that we want to save them $100 million, not by reforming the Senate, but by abolishing it.

Here is a partial list of Conservative members who expressed disappointment regarding the Senate expense scandal: the member for Dufferin—Caledon, the member for Calgary Centre-North, the member for Prince George—Peace River, the deputy House leader, and of course, the Prime Minister. The problem is that all of these people keep parroting the same line: they did not witness the exchange between Mr. Duffy and Mr. Wright, and they are unaware of the details of the scandal.

We would therefore like to know exactly what they are so disappointed about.

[James Moore, Conservative, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages]

Mr. Speaker, with respect to the Senate, as I just said, Canadians want us to move forward with our plan to reform the Senate. If the NDP genuinely supports that idea, it should support the two pieces of legislation we have before the House to truly reform the Senate. That is what Canadians really want. They want responsibility and reform. We have shown the way forward; all the NDP has to do is support us.

[Alexandre Boulerice, NDP, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, once again, they are not answering questions. How absolutely fascinating. Those guys are all like ex-mayor Tremblay: none of them ever know anything.

Senators Duffy, Brazeau and Wallin were all appointed by the Prime Minister. He appointed them, so he is responsible for them. Exactly what instructions did the Prime Minister give about senators' travel and residence expenses from the time the Auditor General submitted his report in 2012 to the time he praised his former chief of staff's leadership—before firing him? We are curious; we would like to know.

[James Moore, Conservative, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages]

Mr. Speaker, upon resigning as the Prime Minister's chief of staff, Mr. Wright himself stated that he had acted alone.

Once again, if my colleague is so keen to prove he is accountable to taxpayers, he should ask his leader to show some leadership and tell us how many NDP MPs are not paying their taxes while all other Canadians are.

[Lysane Blanchette-Lamothe, NDP, Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I understand why the minister is trying to change the subject; it cannot be easy to face such an ethical scandal in his own party. I would not want to be in his shoes. However, in this case, many unanswered questions remain.

What if there is no note, no directive? What good is the Prime Minister if he cannot manage anything in his own office?

The Conservatives are telling us that there is no legal document for the agreement between Duffy and Wright. Fine. Is there a non-legal document regarding the $90,000 payment that Nigel Wright made to Mike Duffy?

[James Moore, Conservative, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages]

Mr. Speaker, we are not changing the subject; we are talking about accountability and responsibility when it comes to taxpayers' money. That is what is on the table. That is what we are discussing and debating here.

On the issue of credibility, defending taxpayers and ensuring that taxpayers' interests are in the best interests of all Canadians, that is the subject before us. On this subject matter, it is very clear that, again, the NDP is throwing rocks from a glass house on the issue of responsibility and taxpayer money. Pay your taxes.

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

I would remind the hon. minister to address his comments to the Chair and not directly to the members opposite.

The hon. member for Pierrefonds—Dollard.

[Lysane Blanchette-Lamothe, NDP, Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it is not up to the minister to tell me what my question is about.

My question is about this cover-up operation by the Prime Minister's Office, which does not release the Prime Minister's Office from its duty to uphold its ethical and legal responsibilities in the Wright-Duffy affair. That is the subject of my question.

Section 16 of the Parliament of Canada Act clearly stipulates that no member of the Senate shall receive any compensation for services rendered before the Senate or the House.

Does the Prime Minister know about this section? Does he know that the Criminal Code prohibits monetary donations to a public office holder?