Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Leader of the Opposition appeared before the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs. Not only was the member for Outremont unable to clearly explain why party employees were involved in partisan activities while on the public payroll, but he went even further and insulted my colleague, the hon. member for Kitchener Centre.
During his less-than-convincing testimony, he offered up vague statements and contradictory explanations. However, the rules of the House of Commons are clear: no employee on the public payroll is allowed to work in party offices.
The Leader of the Opposition's behaviour is unacceptable. Will he admit that he broke the rules of the House and misled the Board of Internal Economy? Will he apologize to my colleague for his disparaging and unparliamentary comments?