John Reynolds

[Goods and Services Tax, January 31st, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday and again today we have heard repeatedly from the minister responsible for the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency that her department has 125 active investigations underway and 78 cases of GST fraud presently before the courts. This is not a lot of action for an alleged 1,000 investigators working in that department.

Has the government ordered an investigation into the possible connection between drug dealers laundering their money and GST fraud?

[Business of the House, January 30th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the government House leader the business for today, tomorrow and next week.

Also, the ministers had many questions today about a possible vote on troops being deployed. I would like to ask him if he will guarantee to the House today, and all oppositions parties who want it, that a vote will take place in the House before any troops are deployed.

[Privilege, January 27th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, on the same point, I have to reply that the question of privilege of the member for Hochelaga--Maisonneuve is out of order for the following reasons.

On page 128 of Marleau and Montpetit, it is stated that:

Speakers have consistently ruled that, except in the most extreme situations, they will only hear questions of privilege arising from committee proceedings upon presentation of a report from the committee which directly deals with the matter and not as a question of privilege raised by an individual Member.

Page 128 cites precedents from Hansard from: June 30, 1987; December 9, 1987; April 2, 1990; November 28, 1990; June 19, 1991; November 7, 1991; May 18, 1995; September 16, 1996; and December 9, 1997.

On page 129 of Marleau and Montpetit, the matter of leaking the contents of a report and the necessity for the committee to report to the House is referred to. Page 129 cites as examples: April 28, 1987; May 14, 1987; and December 18, 1987.

Mr. Speaker, I believe you should rule that this matter should be dropped as it is out of order.

[Question No. 43, January 27th, 2003]

With regard to vacant property called Moffat Farms, owned by the National Capital Commission and land commonly called Montfort Woods, owned by DRC Phoenix Corporation: ( a ) what Ministers of the Crown, Officials and Departments made representations regarding these lands; ( b ) to whom did they make representations; ( c ) what were the nature of the representations; ( d ) what was the response to the representations; and ( e ) when were they made?

[Petitions, January 27th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I wish to introduce a petition I have received from approximately 60 constituents calling on Parliament to support stem cell research to find cures and therapies necessary to treat illnesses and diseases of suffering Canadians.

[Points of Order, January 27th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I have one more item to add, in looking at my rule book. According to the new rules, it is the committee's job to determine why the question has not been answered.

Unless it is a matter of privilege, I would suggest that we let the committee do its job, hear witnesses and to get to the bottom of why the government is trying to make a cover-up here.

[Points of Order, January 27th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I think the government House leader protests a little too much. We have a rule in the House that when questions are asked they are answered in 45 days, and the government agrees to that.

We are talking here about grants, loans and contracts. The biggest scandals we have had from the government over the last few months have been about grants, loans and contracts. We all know, those of us who have been in more than one election, that the party in power, when it goes into the election, has a list ready for its members with all the grants, loans and contracts that have gone to their riding.

We also know that the government is not short of computers. I cannot believe and I do not think there is a Canadian who believes that the government cannot give us a list of the grants, loans and contracts, no matter whether it was last year, two years ago or five years ago. It is scandalous what the government is trying to hide. It is shameful that it would ask you, Mr. Speaker, to get involved in something that is a totally partisan issue.

The government House leader says that the government is not required to keep records by constituents. All of us in the House at some time or another have received from different departments lists of grants and whatever in our ridings. We ask for them and we get them by constituency. If the government does not do it, it should do it. It does it for its own members come election time.

I say again, what does the government have to hide? I hope, Mr. Speaker, you will look behind what it is trying to hide so we can get to the bottom of this. The the taxpayers of Canada have a right to know every grant, loan and contract in every constituency in the country.

We are not talking about a lot of money here. Every government department has more computers than they need. Did they not have a couple of hundred million computers stored somewhere that were never used? Maybe the government could put them to use in getting this information.

I would say that when it comes to grants, loans and contracts we are willing to work with the government House leader. Maybe he needs a few more days than 45 because everybody had a six week break. Let us find a date to get answers to those questions. We will not let them go and we will not let the government hide behind some phoney rule that it thinks it has made up somewhere.

[Points of Order, January 27th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, due to the fact that all the opposition members are back in great numbers and are ready to go to work and offer positive suggestions for the government to some of the legislation it may have, could the government House leader advise the opposition what is on the program for the rest of this week going into next week?

[Privilege, December 12th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, I would just like to state that the member they were referring to has been ill, is in the hospital and is recovering right now.

I would hope that if there is anything the Speaker would like we would hold off until we come back in the New Year, when I am sure he will be healthy and wealthy after the holiday season and able to explain. I know he is a well respected member of the House and would not be leaking anything in advance, anything that should not be leaked, because he is very much a hardworking member of that committee.

[Business of the House, December 12th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker,

Thirteen days before Christmas and all through the House, the Prime Minister sat listening to his backbenchers grouse. When all of a sudden there arose such a clatter, I dropped both my crutches and yelled, “What's the matter?” And what did my wondering eyes then behold, But a tiny House leader all decked out in gold. “That is government House leader”, he boldly declared, Then sat at his desk and he glared and he glared. That withering glare made me cower and meek But I still had to ask for his plans for next week.