House of Commons Hansard #271 of the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was civilization.
Lysane Blanchette-Lamothe NDP Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC
Mr. Speaker, if we add Saulie Zajdel to the party's list of friends, which includes Arthur Porter and Bruce Carson, there are quite a few Conservative appointees linked to corruption or influence peddling.
However, let us get back to the Senate expenses scandal.
Has anyone from the Prime Minister's Office spoken to Nigel Wright since the start of the criminal investigation into the $90,000 payment to Mike Duffy?
James Moore ConservativeMinister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages
Mr. Speaker, quite simply, the answer is no.
I never spoke to Mr. Wright after May 15, when everything became public.
Lysane Blanchette-Lamothe NDP Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC
Mr. Speaker, the minister spoke to no one. I thank him very much for the information. Perhaps someone could speak for more than just the minister.
Perhaps the Conservatives could add Mr. Zajdel to the list of Senate prospects and include him in the select club of senators appointed by the Prime Minister who are facing charges, such as senators Brazeau, Wallin and Duffy.
Could the minister perhaps tell us if he or his colleagues know whether the Prime Minister's Office obtained legal advice concerning the criminal investigation into the questionable activities of its former chief of staff that occurred in this Prime Minister's Office?
James Moore ConservativeMinister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages
Mr. Speaker, in answer to the first question on her list, Mr. Zajdel will never be appointed to the Senate.
Alexandrine Latendresse NDP Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC
Mr. Speaker, 62 days ago, the Minister of State for Democratic Reform said, “Our government is pleased to announce that it will introduce comprehensive legislation on Thursday”.
Nine Thursdays have come and gone since that announcement, and still nothing. It is all well and good for the minister to say that he wants to do things properly, but election fraud legislation needs to be passed by early 2014 so that it can be enforced during the next election campaign.
When will the minister finally introduce his bill?
Tim Uppal ConservativeMinister of State (Democratic Reform)
Mr. Speaker, I have been very clear that we have committed to introducing legislation to reform election laws and we will introduce that legislation.
What is not clear is this. Why do the NDP members believe they are above the law? It was that party over there that accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegal union donations. The leader of the NDP did not tell the police about a crime for over 17 years. Then just last week he did not stop for stop signs and did not stop for the police. Why do they believe they are above the law?
Craig Scott NDP Toronto—Danforth, ON
Mr. Speaker, nine months of these feeble lines wore thin a long long time ago. This is about strengthening Elections Canada to be able to go after fraud. The minister promised that he would table a bill so many times. He then met with the Conservative caucus and, poof, up in smoke, he suddenly changed his mind.
The Chief Electoral Officer said that we needed this bill before the next election. Why are the Conservatives dragging their heels, missing deadlines and actually risking not having this bill in place before the next election?
Tim Uppal ConservativeMinister of State (Democratic Reform)
Mr. Speaker, I have been clear that we will introduce reforms to our election laws. However, what about traffic laws? What about traffic laws for stopping at stop signs, endangering pedestrians, construction workers and others on the Hill? Why do the NDP members believe they are above the law?
Ève Péclet NDP La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC
Mr. Speaker, I would not want to be a Conservative minister caught defending the indefensible, any more than I would want to be a tour guide caught defending the Senate.
Documents reveal that Parliament Hill tour guide manuals use outdated Mulroney-era statistics to refer to the supposedly non-partisan Senate. The manual even recommends defending the two-party system. That is not very nice for the few Liberals left.
Has anyone from the Minister of Canadian Heritage's office spoken to the National Capital Commission employees about this guide?
James Moore ConservativeMinister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages
No, Mr. Speaker, we have not spoken to them about this guide.
Marc Garneau Liberal Westmount—Ville-Marie, QC
Mr. Speaker, this morning Saulie Zajdel was arrested on five charges from fraud to corruption. This is the person best known as the failed Conservative candidate and then the paid shadow MP in Mount Royal where fraudulent Conservative calls took place, which you yourself called reprehensible, Mr. Speaker.
This was a highly paid senior adviser to the heritage minister. Did the background check on this person not reveal any wrongdoing as alleged by the Montreal police today?
James Moore ConservativeMinister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages
Mr. Speaker, a background check in 2011 would not have revealed a charge that was levelled in 2013. That is not quite how the order of time works in the universe.
If Mr. Zajdel or Mr. Applebaum are found to have broken the law in any way in their behaviour when they were involved in municipal politics, which is what is being referred to here, from 2006 to 2011, they should have the book thrown at them and they should be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.
Carolyn Bennett Liberal St. Paul's, ON
Mr. Speaker, election overspending is a serious offence, but Conservative MPs seem to think election laws are optional.
Elections Canada has now said that there are three Conservative MPs who are not entitled to sit or vote in this place: the member for Selkirk—Interlake, the member for Saint Boniface and now the member for Essex. Last week the member for Peterborough tried to abuse his parliamentary privilege and interfere with an Elections Canada investigation in his riding.
The law is clear. Why does the Conservative government refuse to enforce the Canada Elections Act?
Pierre Poilievre ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, these members of Parliament were duly elected. We expect they have the right to speak in defence of the filings they made and which Elections Canada has in the past accepted.
The member across mentions their right to sit in the House of Commons. In fact, we all have the obligation to sit in the House of Commons. That is why we are paid. Unfortunately, her leader actually skipped out on his obligation to vote in this chamber in order to get paid a second time for a charitable appearance that all of us in the House would normally attend for free as a matter of our parliamentary duties. It is time he paid back the money.
Ralph Goodale Liberal Wascana, SK
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister hand-picked both Mike Duffy and Nigel Wright. They are now under police investigation for a $90,000 deal that corrupted a sitting legislator. Another former chief of staff, Bruce Carson, is on trial for influence pedaling. Arthur Porter, the man the Prime Minister put in charge of national security, is in jail in Panama. Then there are Zajdel, Penashue and Brazeau and the list goes on.
Were security checks not done on any of these people before the Prime Minister personally endorsed them, or did he just ignore the risk that his bad judgment would cause for Canada?
James Moore ConservativeMinister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages
Mr. Speaker, what security checks were done on Mac Harb before he was named to the Senate and took $231,000 from taxpayers? What background check was done on Mac Harb before the Liberal leader said that he was welcomed to come back to the Liberal Party even though he took $231,000?
What background check was done by the leader of the Liberal Party on these charities that he took money from rather than give it to them? Did he have as a rider on all his contracts, that he would speak to them only if they paid him x thousands of dollars? When will the Liberal members come clear on their corruption and their pocketing of money from charities?
Dany Morin NDP Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC
Mr. Speaker, this spring, people across the country were shocked by the death of Rehtaeh Parsons.
This is one of countless cases where the Internet was used to bully someone. As is the case with far too many of our laws, the Criminal Code does not take into consideration the reality of new technologies.
In April, we asked the Prime Minister what he planned to do about this. We are still waiting.
When will the Conservatives finally fill the gaps in the Criminal Code?
Rob Nicholson ConservativeMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, that is a tragic incident and our hearts certainly go out to the Parsons family. However, the hon. member may have missed the announcement by the Minister of Canadian Heritage about some of the efforts this government has made toward anti-bullying.
We are working with the provinces and we will be reviewing the laws with respect to this. Canadians can count on this government to stand up for victims across the country and move forward on this issue.
Robert Chisholm NDP Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS
Mr. Speaker, we have heard what the Conservatives have said, and it is not enough. Rehtaeh's tragic death brought our country together, not just to mourn but to urgently look for ways to ensure these kinds of tragedies did not happen again. We all know that changes are necessary and the proper authorities need the tools to do their jobs.
People who distribute intimate images without consent need to be held accountable. Today, I am introducing a private member's bill that would make the malicious distribution of intimate images without consent a crime.
Will the minister work with us to ensure this bill is passed as soon as possible?
Rob Nicholson ConservativeMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, we have been very clear that a crime that happens on the Internet must still be considered a crime. We have brought forward legislation that would, for instance, require the Internet service providers to report incidents of child pornography. We have raised the age of consent and we have cracked down on individuals who bring this kind of pornography and child sexual abuse.
I wish, for once, we could have received the support of the New Democrats. We would be in a much better position today, if we had received their support on any of these issues.
Jinny Sims NDP Newton—North Delta, BC
Mr. Speaker, again today Canadians are condemning Conservative cuts to refugee health care. These changes hurt some of society's most vulnerable people. The changes have been confusing, have failed to save money and have downloaded refugee health care costs on to provinces, families and individuals.
Canada was built on the belief that we would welcome strangers in need and take care of one another. When will the minister reverse these mean-spirited and short-sighted cuts?
Jason Kenney ConservativeMinister of Citizenship
Mr. Speaker, let us be clear. The thousands of resettled refugees whom Canada welcomes every year, the largest number per capita in the world, all receive comprehensive federal health insurance. The bona fide asylum claimants who are demonstrated to be real refugees in need of our protection receive comprehensive federal health insurance until they qualify for provincial insurance.
However, those people whose claims are rejected as being from fake or bogus asylum claimants no longer receive federal health insurance. They never should have in the first place because they are here illegally, are no longer welcome in Canada and we respectfully ask that they leave.
Sadia Groguhé NDP Saint-Lambert, QC
Mr. Speaker, only a Conservative minister devoid of feelings could think that children and pregnant women are abusing the health care system. Shame on him.
The provinces, hospitals and health care professionals, who are already overburdened, are suffering the consequences of the transfer of responsibility for refugee health care from the federal level to the provinces.
Will the Minister of Health listen to the provinces, hospitals and doctors and cancel these irresponsible cuts?
Jason Kenney ConservativeMinister of Citizenship
Mr. Speaker, what is irresponsible is the NDP policy that would force Canadian taxpayers to pay the medical expenses of bogus asylum claimants, failed claimants and illegal migrants, people who have no right to be in Canada. If a person comes here as a visitor, student, worker or new permanent resident, then they have to pay their own medical expenses before becoming a permanent resident.
Why does the NDP want to force taxpayers to pay the universal and supplemental medical expenses of illegal migrants? It makes no sense.
Blaine Calkins Conservative Wetaskiwin, AB
Mr. Speaker, Canadians are increasingly concerned about high-risk individuals being released back into the community. While our government is taking strong action to reform laws in this area by empowering victims' groups, the Liberal leader empowers his own bank account by taking hundreds of thousands of dollars from key stakeholders and charities.
Could the Minister of Justice please inform the House of the latest developments regarding the not criminally responsible reform act and the importance of supporting victims rights' groups?