Michel Gauthier

[Sponsorship Program, April 15th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, Parliament reformed political party financing in the fall of 2003. One of the measures imposed by the government concerned the blind transfer of funds from personal trusts to the riding associations before midnight on December 31, 2003. That is the reality.

Will the government admit that this was a huge money laundering operation, which probably wiped out all traces of sponsorship money in the trust funds?

[Sponsorship Program, April 15th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, the government, still in search of the dirty money, claims that there is none in the Liberal Party coffers. However, the riding associations have very substantial funds, some of which are from the former personal trust funds of a number of Liberal ministers and MPs.

Will the government admit that it is quite possible, even probable, that some of the dirty sponsorship money now belongs to Liberal Party riding associations, after transiting through the former trust funds, which are outside—

[Sponsorship Program, April 14th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, let us be clear. The Liberal Party set up a kickback system on the contracts it awarded, in order to fill its coffers with public funds, with the taxpayers' money. That is what it did, and ought to be ashamed of doing.

[Sponsorship Program, April 14th, 2005]

The Liberal Party is the one that set up—

[Sponsorship Program, April 14th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, the Parti Québécois has never demanded any kickbacks. On the contrary it has been the victim—

[Sponsorship Program, April 14th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, the courageous action we really expect of the Prime Minister and the government is handing back the dirty money. It is not complicated. The Minister of Transport has said he would pay it back.

If the Prime Minister is courageous, let him stop hiding behind the Gomery inquiry and put the dirty money into a trust until the Gomery inquiry has finished. That is what the public wants.

[Sponsorship Program, April 13th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, when it comes to the agencies, the government takes action. When it comes to senior officials, it takes immediate action. When it comes to the Liberal Party, we have to wait until the end.

Is the Prime Minister using the end of the Gomery inquiry as an excuse because he is planning to use the dirty money to finance a fourth election, since he is currently unable to finance his own party? That is the only way they could manage an election.

[Sponsorship Program, April 13th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, we would like it if the minister were more concerned about the government's credibility. That would be somewhat of an improvement.

The Prime Minister and the government did not wait to fire individuals and sue ad agencies involved in the sponsorship scandal.

How is it that they had enough evidence to sue the agencies and fire individuals, but not enough to make the Liberal Party put the dirty money into a trust fund?

[Sponsorship Program, April 12th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, we know that all the ministers are investigated by the RCMP, but we have already seen cases where the results left something to be desired.

What I am asking the Prime Minister is not whether the RCMP conducted an investigation. Did the person who claims to have the moral authority to lead the government question his ministers himself, clearly and specifically, and did he receive assurances from them that they had nothing to do with the sponsorship scandal and the firms involved? That is my question.

[Sponsorship Program, April 12th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, we have asked the Prime Minister numerous times already whether he did all the necessary checks to ensure that none of his ministers, past or present, was connected in any way to the sponsorship scandal.

Today, I am asking the Prime Minister, who claims to have the moral authority to lead this government, whether he asked his ministers about this and whether he received all the necessary assurances that none of his ministers had any involvement with any agency in the sponsorship scandal?