Michel Gauthier

[Education, October 20th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, when they announced their cuts, they ought to have said that the biggest drop is in the number of people entitled to draw unemployment insurance. That is the drop the Liberals are responsible for.

Last week, the Minister of Finance was nailed by educators in British Columbia, who spoke out against his plan to interfere in this area.

How can the Minister of Finance justify another intrusion by the federal government into education, when this is a provincial jurisdiction, when the one responsible for the problems in this sector is, in fact, himself?

[Rcmp Investigations, October 9th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, one fact remains. Given everything we have found out these past two weeks about this influence peddling business, I want to ask the Prime Minister the following question: What good is a government code of conduct that nobody knows anything about and that has no appropriate provision for this type of situation?

[Rcmp Investigations, October 9th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, in 1985, the current Prime Minister said in this House that any innuendo or any suggestion of irregularities would undermine the confidence of Canadians and that it would be better if the suspect were to hand in his resignation. At the time, the Prime Minister was quick to criticize another government.

How can he explain today how incredibly tolerant he is in this matter which involves the President of the Treasury Board and which is under investigation?

[The Late Claude Ellis, October 8th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I did not have the honour of knowing Mr. Ellis, to whom tribute is being paid today, personally. But I want to say that when someone has sat in the House for two terms of office and worked hard for his constituents, we cannot but express our admiration and note that this was truly someone who put himself out for those he represented.

He was a CCF member, someone who undoubtedly did some very useful work in the Parliament of Canada and who spared no effort in serving his fellow citizens in the Regina area.

On behalf of Bloc Quebecois members, I would therefore like to express our deepest condolences to his entire family and to tell them that we are keenly aware that there were lengthy periods during which they had to manage without Mr. Ellis, because he had to be here in Ottawa to serve his constituents. They have our sympathy and our deepest respect for the sacrifices they were willing to make so that he could do his work in the House.

[Rcmp Investigations, October 8th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister responsible for Public Works and Government Services.

I would like to know from this minister whether, in awarding contracts, project by project, file by file, his procedure is as his colleague at human resources development has indicated, to transmit the lists to the President of Treasury Board, to the minister responsible for the Quebec region?

[Rcmp Investigations, October 8th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I think the minister was saved by the bell. He was in the process of telling us something he could never finish.

This minister learned last night on the CBC that one of his assistants may be directly involved in the worst affair to hit the government in three years and here he is saying he did not know, he did not check.

We want to know whether or not he checked with his executive assistant—

[Rcmp Investigations, October 8th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, in the light of the very serious allegations in the matter of influence peddling, how does the Prime Minister explain the government's ethics section not ordering an immediate internal inquiry in the offices of ministers who may be involved and the fact that it has taken over seven months, questions from the opposition and from journalists and a report by the CBC pointing the finger at an employee of the minister to discover that the minister still has not found out what was going on in his office?

Is there some rule in the Liberal code of ethics providing that, in the case of this government, “if nobody can see you, nobody can catch you”?

[Rcmp Investigations, October 8th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, there are very serious allegations of influence peddling currently sullying the government.

Is the President of the Treasury Board telling us that, after the revelations made yesterday on CBC radio, he did not bother to check with his employee, a member of his political staff, if indeed he was implicated in this matter?

[Rcmp Investigations, October 8th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, Guy Gendron reported on CBC radio that Jacques Roy, who works in the office of the President of the Treasury Board, is allegedly under investigation in this matter of influence peddling.

My question is for the Prime Minister. Under the government's code of ethics, should an employee working in a minister's office, who is under investigation by the RCMP for influence peddling, not be immediately suspended until the matter he or she is involved in has been resolved?

[Rcmp Investigations, October 7th, 1997]

I apologize, Mr. Speaker, but my question is for the Prime Minister and concerns his compliance with the government's code of conduct. With all due respect, I will put the question to the Prime Minister rather clearly, so everyone can understand what it is about, given that I have only one question.

I am asking the Prime Minister to tell us why his ministers comply with the government's code of conduct, but not him, since he left a person strongly suspected of influence peddling mingle with Liberal Party members and ministers.

I think the Prime Minister has a duty to respond.