Brian Tobin

[Ethics Counsellor, March 21st, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, apparently the Leader of the Opposition is having great trouble with the simple, hard, disappointing reality that the Prime Minister's name was not on the registry after 1993 because he was not a shareholder.

[Ethics Counsellor, March 21st, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, all the information required was provided yesterday in a letter that was tabled before the industry committee.

Let me quote from what the ethics counsellor said yesterday, less than 24 hours ago. He said:

I am satisfied that the prime minister had no personal interest at stake when he assisted the auberge in its applications before the Business Development Bank.

He went on to say that the golf course ceased to have an interest in the auberge in mid-1993 and that the Prime Minister ceased to have a financial interest in the golf course in November 1993.

Most people could understand that, even the Leader of the Opposition.

[Ethics Counsellor, March 21st, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, it does not matter how many times the Leader of the Opposition—Leader of the Opposition for the moment—continues to ask these kinds of questions. These kinds of questions will not save his leadership.

[Ethics Counsellor, March 21st, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, it was not the Leader of the Opposition's shorts that he got in a knot when he got sued for $800,000 for making sarcastic, wrong and false comments about another individual.

The gentleman talks about ethics, but it was his party that paid $50,000 to bring about a byelection and still has not produced the money. It is that party that accepted $70,000 from a law firm that benefited from the very suit for which the member was found guilty. The member has no room to lecture this Prime Minister on ethics, none whatsoever.

[Ethics Counsellor, March 21st, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition has been part of a demand for the ethics counsellor to investigate this matter. The ethics counsellor has done so and, as recently as yesterday, said clearly again that the Prime Minister was not in any conflict.

The Leader of the Opposition was part of a demand for the RCMP to investigate this matter. The RCMP did investigate and closed the books because there was no basis for an investigation. The Leader of the Opposition asked that the company release the names of the shareholders and, by the way, independent verification is being sought today with respect to that list. That information is forthcoming.

I say it is time for the Leader of the Opposition to get back to the real business of Canada.

[Points Of Order, March 20th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, today the Department of Industry received a communication through its communications directorate from the owners of the Grand-Mère Golf Club in response to questions which have been raised regarding the shareholders list of the golf course.

The letter in question is being released and made public with the consent of the shareholders as is required by law. It was dealt with earlier today before the standing committee on industry. The letter makes clear that since 1993 the Prime Minister has not been a shareholder in that golf course.

[Division No. 34, March 20th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I wonder if I may take the time of the House for a moment prior to the conclusion of the vote to draw attention to a matter which has been very much the subject of discussion in this place, and a matter to which I could now quickly respond by tabling a letter. There have been many inquiries.—

[Ethics Counsellor, March 20th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, the ethics counsellor reports through Industry Canada. I want to assure the leader of the Conservative Party that the ethics counsellor is quite free to testify in any way he wants before the committee. More to the point, members of parliament on all sides, but notably members of the Liberal Party, are quite free to ask whatever questions they want as he appears before that committee.

[Auberge Grand-Mère, March 20th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, the facts are clear. Here is a member who yesterday had so much courage, the courage of his convictions, that he dared not say outside the House what he said inside the House. This is an attempt at a smear campaign and it is beneath this member. He should know better.

[Auberge Grand-Mère, March 20th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, let me quote further from the ethics counsellor on Friday of last week with respect to this matter:

This is neither as complicated nor as mysterious as some would make it out. Mr. Chrétien ceased to be a shareholder in 1993.