Deborah Grey

[Fisheries, March 24th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, the fisheries minister was asked why so many of his bureaucrats work in Ottawa and so few close to the ocean. He answered: “Ontario pays a substantial amount of the taxes in this country, and simply people moving away from Ottawa and moving jobs from one province to the other will not necessarily be an easy task”. This is a big fish story.

Why does the fisheries minister care so much about his own department and so little about fishermen's jobs in Vancouver or St. John's?

[The Senate, March 18th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, the problem is not what happened when he was in private life. The problem is making a Senate appointment and the payback now that he is in public life as the Prime Minister of the country.

He has been champing at the bit for years to put Ross Fitzpatrick in the Senate, since 1993 when he came to office. Even some Liberals thought that it was too soon and far too crass to put him in back then in 1993. Now in 1998 he is in the Senate. The appointment has been made.

Why does the Prime Minister think it is ethical now in 1998 but it was not ethical for him to do it in 1993?

[The Senate, March 18th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, we do not mean to demean anyone. We just want to ask hard questions to get true answers.

This is a story about friends. When the Prime Minister was down on his luck, friend Fitzpatrick gave him a stock deal that made him $45,000 profit. That is true. That is what Liberal friends are for. Now the Prime Minister is taking care of his Liberal friend by appointing him to the Senate.

The Prime Minister has said no more cronies and friends in the Senate but friends are friends forever. Let me ask the Prime Minister a question. Why does the Prime Minister not just admit this?

[Supply, March 17th, 1998]

I did that already this morning. You were not here when I was speaking.

[Supply, March 17th, 1998]

You never want to wave it again?

[The Senate, March 17th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, we are taking our facts from the insider trading reports. The Prime Minister knows exactly where he got the cash, how much he bought the shares for and how much he sold them for just one week later.

Air Canada, Canadian Airlines and the Prime Minister all seem to offer seat sales, but there is only one of those that flies straight to the Senate.

Let me ask the Prime Minister this. The swearing in ceremony is going on right now, at 2 o'clock. Will he cancel his Senate appointment while there is still time?

[The Senate, March 17th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, we are not accusing the Prime Minister of doing anything illegal with those things back then. We are just asking questions now about the fact that just last week in the House of Commons the Prime Minister said he received no remuneration. In fact he got $45,000 in one week.

What we want to ask is this: What is the problem with the Prime Minister saying “Sure, here is a Senate seat for you” a few years later. Was this $45,000 not a downpayment on a Senate seat, yes or no?

[Supply, March 17th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, I did not get the point about December 25. I am not sure what the hon. member was referring to. I must admit I did not have a whole lot to do with the family planning. I was born when I was born.

He will remember that the incident which happened last week had nothing to do with the flag flap. It had everything to do with some comments the Speaker had made elsewhere which he straightened out. He did not recognize the Leader of Her Majesty's Official Opposition. That is why many members were angry.

Something happened that day which was regrettable. My seatmate, the member for Medicine Hat, tossed a flag up in disgust. He was exasperated, he was frustrated and he said that he is very, very sorry and very ashamed that he did that. I appreciated the honesty in that. I think all of us need to say thanks for being honest.

[Supply, March 17th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, the member will remember that the case he is talking about, about a defeated member from New Brunswick, had absolutely no merit to it. The Speaker ruled on that once and for all. It is unbelievable that he would bring up some silly thing like that again.

The member talked about the red book. Yes, I must admit on that day I thought that was just where the red book deserved to be, right smack on the floor. I have never thrown a flag. I never will. Is it not ironic that the red book would be allowed in the Chamber of the House Commons, but the red flag would not. What a caution, what a pathetic statement.

[Supply, March 17th, 1998]

Mr. Speaker, if I want to do something which is spontaneous because my flag means so much to me, I think I should be given the privilege, the right and perhaps even the obligation to stand. If I want to wave my flag as a symbol of what is inside, I figure I ought to be able to do that. If I want to sing O Canada in this Chamber, I tell you, Mr. Speaker, I will do it. If they are here I will do it.

The issue is that we be allowed when we choose, not all the time but when we choose, to have that flag which is so much deeper and which represents so much about what it means to me to be a Canadian. It is the symbol and that is why I should be able to use it at my desk, because I love it and because I serve it.