Deborah Grey

[Canadian International Development Agency, October 22nd, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, hopefully this should be the time for a responsible government to say what the responsibilities of government are and how some of these crazy things are happening.

Last night at a Reform dinner people paid money, got a good meal and a good speech. If it were a Liberal fund-raiser they would have got a meal, a speech and a nice big juicy contract for dessert.

Last night we were speaking to the national director of the Liberals, Terry Mercer, who said that we could get the information about the dates of these donations from Elections Canada. They deny even having this information.

Let me ask the minister of public works again because it is under his domain—

[Canadian International Development Agency, October 22nd, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I used to be a teacher and I know a lot about doing homework. I have done my homework today. I want to tell the House that if any Liberals are convicted of influence peddling it is more than the principal's office they are going to be heading to; that is for sure.

It is an undisputed fact that the company of Raymond, Chabot wrote cheques for $87,000 to the Liberal Party. It is also undisputed that it received CIDA contracts for $20 million.

Let me ask a question of the minister of public works. Which came first, the cash to the Liberals or the contracts from the Liberals?

[Canadian International Development Agency, October 21st, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, the minister talks about rubbish. Let us look at a little of this rubbish, shall we?

Companies that get CIDA contracts are 70 times more likely to have donated money to the Liberals than other companies. Rubbish? It was the minister's own personal friend Marc Lalonde who stick handled this deal right through the goal. Is that rubbish? I do not think so.

If political donations have absolutely nothing to do with government grants, let the minister tell us why the Liberals get 70% of the contracts for CIDA. Is it just a heck of a coincidence or is it rubbish?

[Canadian International Development Agency, October 21st, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, how much do you have to give to the Liberal Party to get a CIDA contract? It seems the more you give, the more you get.

Geratec Incorporated of Quebec, a group of companies directed by former Liberal cabinet minister Marc Lalonde, has donated a whopping $80,000 to the Liberals over the past two years. The payoff is $80 million in CIDA contracts, not a bad return on your dollar.

Was Pierre Corbeil just a Liberal bagman or was he the government's ethics adviser as well?

[Petitions, October 21st, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I have another enormous petition which conforms to Standing Order 36. It is signed by literally thousands of residents in the Edmonton, Sherwood Park, northern Alberta area and by many other people across Canada who are talking about the dreadful murder of Susan Klassen of Yukon.

This petition comes from her sister, Brenda MacDonald, in my constituency and from deeply concerned citizens. They believe that the provocation defence as it is currently used in femicide and wife slaughter cases inappropriately and unjustly changes the focus of the criminal trial from the behaviour of the accused to the behaviour of the victim who, from then on, is identified as the one responsible for the accused violence. It is shameful and it is not right.

More specifically, it is not consistent with the constitutional rights of women, including their right to equal protection and benefit of the law and the right to life, liberty and security.

Thousands of people pray that the defence of provocation be dealt with in the Criminal Code just as soon as possible. I urge the justice minister to do that.

[Petitions, October 21st, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, in accordance with Standing Order 36, I would like to present a couple of petitions on behalf of the people in Medley and Edmonton, Alberta.

The petitioners state that there are profound inadequacies in the sentencing practices concerning individuals convicted of impaired driving charges. They think that Canada must embrace a philosophy of zero tolerance toward individuals who drive while impaired by alcohol or drugs.

Therefore, the petitioners pray and request that Parliament proceed immediately with amendments to the Criminal Code that will ensure that the sentence given to anyone convicted of driving while impaired or causing injury or death while impaired reflects both the severity of the crime and zero tolerance by Canada toward this crime. The sooner we act on that the better.

[Rcmp Investigations, October 20th, 1997]

Yes, I will, Mr. Speaker, and I will be judicious by asking a simple question.

Why, who, when, what? They can answer any question they like. Who was the cabinet insider giving Corbeil the inside track?

[Rcmp Investigations, October 20th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, let us look at the facts for just a minute.

The fact is that companies were told to pay up to the Liberal Party or they would not get government contracts. The fact is that, even after the RCMP were alerted to the shakedown that was going on, the Liberals kept their fraudulent fundraiser on the payroll until well after the election.

[Rcmp Investigations, October 20th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, let us examine some Liberal scandals.

Back when Mulroney's government was committing crimes with its fundraising group, the Liberals absolutely blew a fuse. The present government House leader when in opposition said “Whether or not there is an RCMP investigation does not mean that this minister is no longer responsible for the administration of his own department”.

Hear, hear, Mr. Speaker.

Let me ask the same government House leader the question today. Why was the Tory scandal back in 1989 so terribly unacceptable to him but a Liberal scandal in 1997 is just business as usual?

[Rcmp Investigations, October 10th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, we are coming up with the facts. There are a lot more where those came from and the House will hear more about them.

Somebody, somewhere on the inside was giving special lists of these companies to Liberal bagmen so they could shake some cash out of these people. Somebody, somewhere on the inside was giving the minister confidential information about the RCMP investigation and secret, and I note, secret search warrants. The minister said yesterday “we were well organized.” That is the point. You betcha.

Just how well organized is this Shawinigan shakedown?