Mr. Speaker, I had somewhat anticipated that we might talk about Elections Canada and some of the issues surrounding it, particularly donation regimes and so forth. I will, like the member has done, put that to the side and take a different approach.
It is consistent with what I just spoke about prior to the adjournment debate. The member is one of a few in the Conservative Party that is charged with the responsibility of ethics, apparently. It was many years ago, when I was an MLA, that I was asked to take on that sort of role. I have seen a lot of change over the years, a change to a higher sense of accountability and transparency in government. There are bits and pieces that I can recall right offhand that I thought were very helpful in terms of making a statement. Let me provide an example of one of them.
When the Prime Minister was the leader of the Liberal Party, he was sitting in the corner where third party members sit. At the time, he stood in the House and asked for leave for what we call proactive disclosure. He asked all MPs to provide proactive disclosure on their budgets. No one would do it. Members denied it outright. We tried it on at least two occasions, though it may have even been more than that. The leader of the Liberal Party then said that, even if the Conservatives did not want to administer it for their members, he mandated proactive disclosure for all Liberal members. As a result, a few months later, the Conservatives were shamed into doing what we had suggested they do. Then a number of months later, the New Democrats did likewise.
I cited that example because I saw that as a step forward. When Stephen Harper established the independence of the Ethics Commissioner's office, I saw that too as a step forward. The Ethics Commissioner was going to find ways to improve our system, and that is exactly what he has done. The member referenced the Prime Minister, but there have been recommendations that go beyond just the Liberal Party. The Ethics Commissioner is doing what he needs to do.
What the Conservatives have clearly demonstrated, and this member, in particular, is one of the front-runners on it, is that they know how to exaggerate things significantly. The member will say that the former minister of finance had a villa in France. I think that means it is a house or possibly a cottage. Over the summer, I actually purchased a cottage by Lake Winnipeg. I spent a long time there. I loved it. The problem is that I got in late August.
We learn from the Ethics Commissioner and that is the way it should be, whether it is Conservatives being investigated and reported on or Liberals.
I am wondering if the member would recognize that the Ethics Commissioner's office should be respected for the work it does and demonstrate that by saying so.