David Collenette

[Ethics, February 28th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, discussions between the former minister of finance and Mr. Wilson, the ethics counsellor, were private conversations. No one is entitled to know what was going on unless either of those two gentlemen made the information public and spoke about the process.

The Prime Minister put in place a code of conduct based on a code of conduct developed by the government of which the right hon. member was a member of and the recommendations of the Parker committee. All the rules were followed.

[Ethics, February 28th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I am very surprised that the hon. member is casting aspersions on a very highly reputable public servant, Mr. Wilson, who has done an outstanding job in the last number of years dealing with a number of difficult issues. I hope that the hon. member would reflect upon the kinds of accusations he has made against Mr. Wilson.

The fact is that for any discussions that have gone on, and these meetings are for Mr. Wilson or the former minister of finance to talk about publicly, we are assured that all of the rules were followed.

[Ethics, February 28th, 2003]

Again, Mr. Speaker, I will take this as representations. The hon. member should really be making these kinds of suggestions at committee.

Again, to repeat, the former minister of finance followed all the rules. He conducted himself in an exemplary fashion while he was in cabinet. The issue of the meetings and what was discussed at the meetings has been reported on by the ethics commissioner, who said that there was no cause for concern in any of the meetings which he attended.

[Ethics, February 28th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I am sorry that the hon. member seems to be a bit under weather. I could not catch the full purport of his question, but I would say that the matter to which he refers about whatever happens at a Liberal leadership is hypothetical and we will not enter into those discussions.

[Ethics, February 28th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I can understand that the hon. member has some strong views on this particular issue and I would invite him to go to committee where this matter is now under review and make his points. He is a member of that committee, I am told, therefore he has the full advantage of going to the committee, making these arguments and trying to change the policy.

[Ethics, February 28th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, we have been consistent in dealing with this matter in the last few days. The fact is that the present code of conduct did emanate from certain deliberations made by the former government and following Justice Parker's report, and we have followed those procedures. In the case of the former minister of finance, he followed all the rules and that has been confirmed by the ethics counsellor.

[Ethics, February 27th, 2003]

On the general matter, Mr. Speaker, with respect to the governance of ethics dealing with politicians, these matters are now currently before the House. The hon. member will have ample time to make his views known.

However I would like to say quite frankly that the conduct of the government over the last nine years, in comparison to the earlier government, the government of which the right hon. member for Calgary Centre was a member, is one that has been exemplary. Ministers have not resigned as they did in the Conservative regime. That is really the issue here.

[Ethics, February 27th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, we have dealt with this question for the last week. Obviously we know that there was a blind management agreement in place and that this type of briefing is allowed for extraordinary corporate events. Of course the content of any of these briefings, and the discussion of financing of projects, anything like that, is personal and confidential, but as Mr. Wilson said today, in a published newspaper report, any meeting that occurred was not inappropriate at all.

[Canada-U.S. Relations, February 27th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I categorically reject the accusations of the hon. member. Members of this side of the House cherish our friendship with the United States. We enjoy a very warm relationship with Americans. They are our largest trading partner and in no way can inappropriate comments of one member, for which she has apologized, detract from the fact that the Government of Canada certainly believes in our friendship and strength of--

[Canada-U.S. Relations, February 27th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I already answered this question in reply to the Leader of the Opposition. The hon. member for Mississauga Centre made inappropriate, unfortunate comments. She has apologized. She will have more to say about this matter later this day. I think that we have to take her apology at face value and hear what she has to say later today.