Anne McLellan

[Sponsorship Program, February 26th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, I want to be very clear about something. That hon. member talks about taking responsibility. This government has taken responsibility for this sponsorship situation.

As of December 12, we cancelled the program. Within minutes of the Auditor General's release of her report, this government announced a package of measures unprecedented in terms of a response and in terms of finding out what happened and trying to make sure it never happens again. This government has taken responsibility.

[Sponsorship Program, February 26th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, as I have said before, no minister on this side of the House has any concern about appearing before either the public accounts committee or the public inquiry committee if called upon to do so.

Therefore I encourage hon. members of the public accounts committee. If they have questions for myself or for other colleagues, they have a means by which they can ask us to come forward and share what we know with them and the Canadian public.

[Lobbyists, February 26th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, I think it is most unfortunate that some hon. members in the House think it is appropriate to call into question the integrity of well known firms, in this city and in this country, that carry on business, be it in relation to lobbying or communications.

Let me reassure the hon. member that the ethics counsellor, using principles established by the Supreme Court of Canada, indicated in his 1998-99 annual report to Parliament that as long as there was a separation between activities such as lobbying and communication, that in fact a firm can--

[Sponsorship Program, February 26th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, let me remind the hon. member that this Prime Minister and this government have taken unprecedented steps.

He refers to the release of cabinet documents. In fact, what the Prime Minister did in relation to the release of those documents is unprecedented. There could not be any greater evidence of the Prime Minister's and government's commitment to openness, transparency and accountability.

[Sponsorship Program, February 26th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, I will continue to answer the hon. member's questions, and I hope in a respectful way.

We have put in place a number of processes to get to the bottom of this situation. Ministers have indicated that, if called upon, they will appear before the public accounts committee and the public inquiry.

Again, we will be as forthcoming as possible. We on this side of the House want to get to the bottom of this. On behalf of Canadians, we want to know what happened. We want to put in place mechanisms to ensure it does not happen again.

[Sponsorship Program, February 26th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, as I have said before, there are unprecedented processes put in place by the government to find out what happened and to ensure it does not happen again.

Ministers on this side of the House have indicated that, if requested to do so, they will appear before the public accounts committee to answer questions. They will appear before the public inquiry to answer questions.

[Sponsorship Program, February 26th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, in cabinet, a wide variety of matters are discussed and colleagues offer their views. This line of inquiry, on the part of the hon. member, is not particularly fruitful in this place.

As I have said before, there is a public accounts process and a public inquiry process. Ministers have indicated that they will appear before both those processes, if requested. At that time, members of the public accounts committee, for example, can ask individual ministers questions that they might have.

[Transportation, February 26th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, that is an outrageous assertion.

In fact, the hon. member should know that anyone involved with the Prime Minister's transition team followed strict rules established by the ethics counsellor. At no time were those people in a position of conflict of interest, nor are they now in a position of conflict of interest.

I want to remind the hon. member that it is this Prime Minister and this government that has committed to, and delivered on, a higher level of transparency and accountability.

[Sponsorship Program, February 26th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, as we have indicated on this side of the House, ministers, if called upon, will appear before the public accounts committee and the public inquiry.

We have put in place an unprecedented set of actions to respond to the Auditor General's report. No one more than the government and the Prime Minister wants to get to the bottom of this situation.

[Sponsorship Program, February 26th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, we have made it very plain that we want to get to the bottom of this situation. That is why we have a public inquiry in place. That is why the public accounts committee is hard at work.

In addition to that, all ministers on this side of the House have indicated that they will, if called upon, appear before the public accounts committee or the public inquiry to answer any questions asked of them.