Mr. Speaker, for two years, he let everyone believe that he had put his assets in a blind trust.
The fact is, when the Liberal defence minister was found in 2002 to have given a $36,000 contract to a company owned by an ex-girlfriend, he was asked to resign from cabinet. When the same year, the Liberal solicitor general was found to have given a $6-million contract to a college presided by his brother, he was asked to resign. However, when this finance minister tables a bill that allows him to gain $2 million through shares he never placed in a blind trust, he gets a free pass. Why is the finance minister held to a lower ethical standard?