Mr. Speaker, dragging out my time is only going to put more of me between the member and the NDP House leader, so he is going to have to decide whom he wants to hear from. However, I am going to jump to the good stuff.
In addition to the member for Regina—Qu'Appelle's fundraising event, he also sent out a very important Facebook message on July 21 of the same year, while he was still Speaker: “Just five hours left. We've received tremendous support today and we are over two-thirds of the way there, but we still need your support. Just a $15 donation from our supporters on Facebook would put us over the top. Will you join us?” There are countless Facebook quotes like this, with the member for Regina—Qu'Appelle trying to raise money. He also had a scotch-tasting and cigar event in his riding.
The member for Regina—Qu'Appelle is going to say that this is different, because he was the Speaker and this all happened in his riding.
He agrees. I would assume that the member for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan would also agree that if he were to do that outside his riding, it would be inappropriate. Can I get a “Hear, hear!” for that? I do not hear it, do I?
Here is what the member for Regina—Qu'Appelle said yesterday in a tweet, while trying to defend his actions when it came to light that he had been involved in a fundraising activity in his riding: “The Speaker”, referring to the current one, “attended a Liberal partisan event billed as a 'Cocktail militant'”, which we now understand to be a volunteer appreciation event, and I appreciate his explaining that to me, “for Liberal volunteers outside his own riding. Helping to drum up support for Liberals in other ridings is a major breach of impartiality.” Let us remember the words that say that helping to support others “is a major breach of impartiality.” It is totally unacceptable, he says.
He went on to say, “When I was the Speaker, the only fundraiser I attended was for my own riding. This is something all Speakers are allowed to do because they must run under a party banner, and other parties run candidates against them.” After seeing this tweet last night, I replied to it and encouraged the member for Regina—Qu'Appelle to delete it because he was probably going to regret it when it came to light that is not the case if he participated in those same activities.
Today, I thought that maybe the member for Regina—Qu'Appelle has a bit of a foggy memory and maybe wants to revisit the issue, so after he presented his motion today, I asked him whether he could please tell us again why it was okay for this to happen in his riding when he was Speaker, but not a riding outside it. Let us just consider what he is accusing the current Speaker of: going to the neighbouring riding and participating in a volunteer appreciation event, according to the member's own words, at the provincial level of government. That is all he was doing; he was taking part in a volunteer appreciation event. He was not donating or anything.
I asked the member for Regina—Qu'Appelle why it is okay to do it in one's own riding but not in other ridings. In his reply to my question, he said, “That's a great question. I appreciate the friendly question from the member from Kingston because there's a very important difference, and it really does change the nature of it. Speakers have always had to run under party banners, until the day comes where parties have a convention or agreement that we will not run candidates against each other as Speaker. The Speaker has to go in an election, and has to have signs and pamphlets, and organize volunteer meetings. There's never been an expectation that the Speaker would cease partisan activities of that nature in their own re-election. Previous Speakers have done that for decades. In fact, the previous Speaker, the member for Nipissing—Timiskaming, did a government announcement in his riding for a government-funded announcement. Nobody objected to that because it was clear that he was communicating to his own constituents that he was talking about the work that he does as a member of Parliament and informing the constituents as to the government's decision in his riding. We were aware that the Speaker had made the announcement, but it did not offend members of Parliament because it was in his own riding. The same is true for partisan fundraising activity by the Speaker. Going to another riding's EDA and raising money for a political party is an offence to other parties who will one day run candidates there.”
The member for Regina—Qu'Appelle has very clearly, in a tweet, in response to my question, articulated extremely well why it is so important that the Speaker only, according to him, participate in their own riding's events.
Members do know where this is going, do they not? Let us go back to May 7, 2015. The member for Regina—Wascana, who is now a sitting member of the House of Commons, had an event. The Regina—Wascana Conservative EDA were pleased to invite individuals to a private networking event with the hon. now opposition leader, the then member of Parliament for Nepean—Carleton, on Tuesday, May 19, at 6:30 p.m. This event took place in a member's home and therefore space was very limited. They truly expected the event to sell out and tickets were $100. It was a hundred bucks to attend this event.
Are there any guesses as to who went to that event? I have a Facebook post of a picture. I really wish I could show this. Perhaps members would allow me to table this. It is a picture of three individuals who are sitting members of Parliament. One is the member for Regina—Qu'Appelle. Can members believe that?
Next to him is the member for Regina—Wascana, who is clapping right now, and the member for Carleton, on May 21, 2015, while the member for Regina—Qu'Appelle was still the Speaker. We have not entered the writ period, and he cannot claim that he was not the Speaker.
The member for Regina—Wascana posted the picture. I hope this does not come back to bite him, and I am sorry about that. He said that on that Tuesday evening, he was joined by the hon. member for Regina—Qu'Appelle and the hon. member for Carleton at the wine and cheese event hosted by the Regina—Wascana Conservative Party EDA. He said it was a great night of discussion and fellowship.
With member's indulgence, I would seek unanimous consent of the House to table this Facebook post.