Deborah Grey

[Public Documents, February 6th, 1997]

Shame on you.

[Public Documents, February 6th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, we know about being dazed in the headlights in Beaver River and we saw an example of it right there. If this is unparliamentary I do not know where we are going in this place.

The entire military is under a complete cloud in this country because of the behaviour of a very select few people. When is the Deputy Prime Minister going to get to the bottom of this and set our Canadian Armed Forces free once and for all?

[Public Documents, February 6th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I am not sure what to thank the hon. member for.

Senior aides to former defence minister Kim Campbell have sworn affidavits that Bob Fowler and John Anderson shredded important memos that pointed to a high level cover-up in the department of defence. If these serious allegations are true, then Fowler and Anderson must be held accountable.

I will ask the Deputy Prime Minister again, and I hope that she gets on her feet and does not look like she is dazed by the headlights. The entire military in this country is under a cloud because of the behaviour-

[Public Documents, February 6th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, the RCMP is investigating the destruction of the Canadian blood committee documents, files and tapes from 1982 to 1989. They would have explained why thousands of Canadians were infected with tainted blood. The shredding of public documents is extremely serious and all evidence shredders should be held accountable for their actions.

The Deputy Prime Minister just said she thinks it is a serious matter. She also said, let the RCMP do their work. That is exactly what we want.

My question is for the Deputy Prime Minister. Will the RCMP be called in to investigate the alleged evidence shredding of Bob Fowler and John Anderson?

[Points Of Order, February 5th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, thank you for dealing with yesterday and I hope that never happens again.

I want to refer to something which has just happened today. Let us hope this is not going to be a regular thing.

When you were on your feet trying to get order after the member did not only just say he had called one a racist but that it was in the plural, the member for Vancouver South hollered across at us: "The truth hurts, doesn't it guys?"

If this Chamber is ever going to be elevated to anything that is above sub-human, it is this kind of behaviour over there that I will not put up with as a member any more-

[Somalia Inquiry, February 5th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, talk about a flip-flop. First the Prime Minister said last fall that it is fine and the commission can have all the time it needs. Now he says that it is good enough and it will just be shut down. This government and this defence minister have castrated the commission. It is as simple as that. They have cut it off. They have not allowed it to do its work. This Prime Minister knows full well that it is not able to get to the post-deployment phase, which it thought it was going to have time to do.

We need to hear from witnesses like Major Buonamici and Barry Armstrong, whose allegations first initiated the whole Somalia inquiry.

The Minister of National Defence says that Canadians do not really want a historical document. I think he is quite right, but what they do want is the truth.

Why cannot Barry Armstrong be allowed to testify and Bob Fowler be forced to testify?

[Somalia Inquiry, February 5th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, this government has spent the last three years protecting and promoting the highest ranked players in the Somalia fiasco.

General Jean Boyle was bumped up to chief of defence staff. Admiral John Anderson was shuffled off to NATO headquarters. Commander Serge Labbe was also shipped off to NATO. The Prime Minister's long time friend Bob Fowler was sent to safety at the United Nations. These people must be held accountable.

When are we ever going to hear their story about what really happened in Somalia?

[Somalia Inquiry, February 4th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, if Fowler had not been shipped off to the United States we probably would not even have needed the Somalia inquiry in the first place.

Since the minister obviously cannot say, in that long answer when I just asked him for one word, that these two Liberal appointees were not involved in a cover-up, and since the minister has shut down the inquiry that would have gotten to the bottom of this and told us the truth, does the minister not realize that he is directly responsible for hiding the truth? How can we trust his bravado which is his own real cover-up for bungling?

[Somalia Inquiry, February 4th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of National Defence says that he does not need a full report now from the Somalia inquiry because he already knows the facts. Since he knows so much about what really happened, will he answer this quiz question about these two Liberal patronage appointees: former deputy minister Robert Fowler and former chief of defence staff John Anderson were involved in a high level cover-up in the Somalia affair, true or false?

[Somalia Inquiry, February 3rd, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, Eaton's would have had those documents delivered in a catalogue.

Allegations of cover-up have occurred under this Liberal government, not just under Kim Campbell and the Conservatives. It is no coincidence that the inquiry will not have enough time to question friends of the government like Bob Fowler.

Another quote: "We have to respect the rights of each individual to be heard and we must wait for the commission to render its

judgment". That was October. That was not Eaton's. That was the Prime Minister of this country.

How in the world are we supposed to be able to trust this government to run the country when it cannot even keep its promise of getting to the bottom of a murder, a cover-up and blackmail?