John Reynolds

[Government Contracts, June 6th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, there was no answer to the $400,000 that went to Liberal friends. It is money that could have been better used for the Prime Minister's imaginary homeless friends.

Other situations like this were presented yesterday to the minister and his replies were totally inadequate. He has a responsibility as a minister of the crown to get to the bottom of this mess.

When will the minister become a friend of the taxpayer instead of a friend to the Liberal donors and when will he stop all of these contracts and start a full and independent inquiry?

[Government Contracts, June 6th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday we learned that last summer the public works minister gave the Francophonie Games $300,000 more than it asked for. It asked for $2.5 million. It received $2.8 million.

Why is this? Is it because over $400,000 of that money went to Liberal friendly advertising firms?

[Foundations, June 5th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, private auditors are fine but there was private auditing of public works that did not find the problems there.

The auditor general said “This compromises the integrity of government”. She also said that it is urgently needed.

Will the government change its policy as the auditor general and all opposition parties are requesting and allow these foundations, $7 billion worth, to report to parliament every year through an auditor general's report?

[Foundations, June 5th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, after two days of questioning in the House, the former minister of public works referred the problems of his department to the auditor general and we thought that was a good idea. Then she referred them to the police.

Yesterday the auditor general said that it is urgently needed to have changes in the foundations on how they report and how she can investigate them. Why will the government not allow the auditor general to look at these foundations and report to all members of parliament every year?

[Government Contracts, June 4th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, I agree with that, and the minister will find the guidelines and the figures he is looking for on his own website.

Groupe Everest and Claude Boulay worked on the 2000 federal Liberal campaign in Quebec. The company gave a $77,000 donation to the Liberal Party. Both the former minister of public works and the minister of immigration stayed at the home of the owner. It is plain to see how this company got the contract. Someone broke the rules for a political friend. Canadians deserve better.

I will ask my question again. When will the government stop breaking the rules for its friends and live up to what--

[Government Contracts, June 4th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, last year two related companies, Groupe Everest and Media IDA Vision, received 75% of all advertising service contracts for the government. Treasury Board Secretariat guidelines prohibit any company from getting more than 25%.

Does the fact that well connected Claude Boulay controls both companies account for this breach of the rules?

[Points of Order, June 4th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order regarding a notice of a meeting of the newly created transport committee. The notice has the committee meeting this morning at 11 a.m.

As you are aware, the transport committee was established on May 27 via a motion that created two committees, the transport committee and the estimates and government operations committee.

The motion provided for the procedure and House affairs committee to prepare and report to the House, within five sitting days of the adoption of the order, lists of members to compose the new standing committees. Such a list has not been prepared or reported to the House.

As you are aware, committees meet at the call of the clerk when an organization committee is required, by the call of the chair, or when a committee so desires to meet. The meeting is not an organization meeting and if it is there is no membership. Also, 48 hours' notice is required. It cannot meet by the call of the chair because it has no chair. It cannot meet by a decision of the committee because the committee has never met.

I can only conclude from this notice that Liberal arrogance is once again at play here and its disrespect for this institution is confirmed by this notice.

In April the Library of Parliament held a briefing on the estimates. At the briefing, it was stated that there was to be a new committee on the estimates to be chaired by the member for Winnipeg South. How did the library get the impression that such a committee existed one month before the motion establishing the committee was adopted by the House? How did it conclude that the member for Winnipeg South was to be its chairman?

As usual, it is presumed that if the Liberal leadership desires something it is only a matter of formality that the House of Commons gets involved.

Once again it is this dismissive view of the role of this House that is at issue here and it is unacceptable.

The only notice I want to see is one for the organization of the transport committee but I insist on 48 hours' notice. I do not want to be told who the chairman is until the committee decides who the chairman is. That goes for the new estimates committee as well.

[Government Contracts, June 3rd, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, when we look across the aisle at the other side, we are reminded of the Glen Clark government in British Columbia: aloof, arrogant, indifferent and chaotic. The Prime Minister's choices have put the government in chaos.

The Prime Minister said in Winnipeg that it was okay that millions and millions may have been stolen through an advertising and sponsorship program.

If the Prime Minister is willing to fire his finance minister for “matters unrelated to government”, why is he not fired up about this theft of tax dollars from his government?

[Member for LaSalle--Émard, June 3rd, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, we have to wonder if the government would not be on a more even keel if the Prime Minister had accepted that invitation and gone to Kabul himself on Saturday night.

The words quit and fired have been used. The Prime Minister just used the word quit. The former minister of finance said that he heard about his dismissal listening to CBC radio while driving his car from Montreal back to Ottawa.

Will the Prime Minister tell Canadians this because they have a right to know. Was the former minister of finance fired or did he quit?

[Government of Canada, June 3rd, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. In view of the delay because of the vote I think we might find agreement among the other parties to extend the statements until 2.25 so members can present their statements.