Mr. Speaker, I cannot recall any gift whatsoever that would be over $200.
In the case in question to which he is referring, the trip with the former Governor General Roméo LeBlanc, any obligation I have is to Mr. LeBlanc, not the Irvings.
House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2004, with 35% of the vote.
Ethics October 28th, 2003
Mr. Speaker, I cannot recall any gift whatsoever that would be over $200.
In the case in question to which he is referring, the trip with the former Governor General Roméo LeBlanc, any obligation I have is to Mr. LeBlanc, not the Irvings.
The Environment October 27th, 2003
Mr. Speaker, no enforcement decisions come before me as minister. Under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, enforcement officers are responsible for enforcement actions, not the minister. Departmental policy is that I am only informed after the event, when the information is being publicly released to all members of the House as well as myself.
Ethics October 27th, 2003
Mr. Speaker, at the time in question, which the hon. member has raised, I believed I was in full compliance with the code and there was no reason at that time for disclosure.
However I now realize that I should have disclosed and I apologize to him and to the House for not disclosing at that time. The reason I felt that it was not necessary to disclose was, first, because the invitation was from a long time friend; and second, it was related to my duties with respect to Atlantic salmon.
St. Lawrence Seaway October 23rd, 2003
Mr. Speaker, there is no plan at this time concerning the St. Lawrence Seaway.
Yes, the U.S. Congress has asked the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to look into this. There is, however, no plan in place, or not that we have seen. All we have done is to begin discussions in order to find out what this entails, but nothing has been discussed yet with the Province of Quebec or the Province of Ontario, because there is no plan as yet.
The Environment October 23rd, 2003
Mr. Speaker, the issue is being looked at by Treasury Board in the appropriate way, in accordance with the regulations and in accordance with the law. That is the appropriate way of handling an issue like this.
With respect to the second aspect of the hon. member's question, as I said earlier, this will not delay the Mackenzie application. There is at this time no application. We are looking into creating a cooperative environment review to have a future application considered at some future time.
The Environment October 23rd, 2003
Mr. Speaker, as I said a few moments ago, the issue is being investigated by Treasury Board. That is the appropriate channel for handing an issue of this type.
Anyone can suggest a different way of doing it, but that is the standard procedure. If I deviated from that procedure, I am quite sure the opposition would complain.
The Environment October 23rd, 2003
Mr. Speaker, as I understand it, the timetable will not be affected by the investigations taking place.
If there is any reason to doubt this, I will once again be in direct communication with the House or with the hon. member.
The Environment October 23rd, 2003
Mr. Speaker, I can assure the hon. member that the civil servant in question asked to be removed from the case as soon as the matter was brought up in a press release from the first nation band involved.
The issue has been sent to the Treasury Board which is responsible for possible conflicts of this type among civil servants. We are awaiting the investigation of the allegations. As soon as I have information, I will be pleased to inform the hon. member.
The Environment October 22nd, 2003
Mr. Speaker, it is very odd that the Bloc Quebecois would want the federal government to take measures in an area that falls under provincial jurisdiction.
The hon. member truly wants us to get involved in an area of provincial responsibility. That is really strange, coming from a party that has been saying for years that the federal government must stop encroaching on provincial jurisdictions. It is very clear, there is actually no political authority, constitutionally, at the federal level to do what the hon. member is asking me to do.
The Environment October 22nd, 2003
Mr. Speaker, as I have explained several times in the House, this problem falls under provincial jurisdiction.
Yesterday, officials of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency received a document from some of the stakeholders, and we are examining it at this time. The hon. member needs to realize, however, that provincial jurisdiction must be respected.