Mr. Speaker, the Liberal sponsorship scandal was a dark period in Canadian history. While the money is still missing, a jury has just found a Liberal fundraiser guilty of fraud charges. That is not all. Two senior advisers to Premier Kathleen Wynne are being charged with bribery, including the CEO of the Ontario Liberal Party and a fundraiser for the Prime Minister.
We would think that with all of these criminal charges, the Liberal government would be trying to avoid a similar fate, but we would be wrong. The Minister of Natural Resources is headlining cash for access events with firms that are actively lobbying his own department. The Minister of Finance is attending cash for access events across the country as he consults with the wealthiest donors.
The Prime Minister is fine with breaking his own rules, but breaking the rules is nothing new to Liberals. While it was brown paper envelopes that led to criminal charges in the sponsorship scandal, we have to wonder if today's Liberals would also prefer their $1,500 donations delivered in brown paper envelopes.