Mr. Speaker, a former senior Liberal cabinet minister and member of Parliament, and mayor of London, Ontario, Joe Fontana, has been found guilty of several serious offences in relation to his time in office. Former Liberal cabinet minister Fontana has been found guilty of breach of trust by a public official, fraud under $5,000, and forging documents. All of these charges stem from a $1,700 expense he filed with a doctored wedding contract for his son's wedding while serving as a federal Liberal MP and cabinet minister. Fontana admitted at the trial that he altered a Marconi Club contract that he had helped negotiate for his son's wedding reception. He then submitted it as an expense to cover a political reception in February 2005 for the member for Wascana, who was supposed to visit London.
These types of actions by an elected official are completely disgusting and disturbing and have no place at any level of government. We hope the former Liberal cabinet minister will apologize to the taxpayers of London and those across Canada whose tax dollars he gravely misused.