John Manley

[Government Grants, May 31st, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, I think Canadians are able to make their own judgments on this.

That party claims that passing on an application for a public institution, not just Holland College but Sheridan College and the University of Moncton together, is somehow offensive whereas going to court to try to hide the names of contributors to election campaigns is okay.

I think the Canadian people are quite capable of smelling what is going on over there, and it is not nice.

[Government Grants, May 31st, 2002]

It will be news to Mr. MacAulay that he owns a college, Mr. Speaker. It is a public institution in Prince Edward Island.

I note that the Conservative premier of Prince Edward Island said “The justice institute at Holland College has been recognized as the justice training centre for Atlantic Canada for over 20 years, long before Alex MacAulay was president or the present solicitor general was in his portfolio”.

I think what we are really seeing here is the corollary of what the Leader of the Opposition said “There is a dependency in the region that breeds a culture of defeatism”. He does not think that Atlantic Canadians are capable of it--

[Government Contracts, May 31st, 2002]

There are a lot of drive-by slimings in that one, Mr. Speaker, but what about the Alliance's $25,000 fundraiser? The member for St. Albert thought that was okay. He said:

People tend to think that people who are well heeled are not grassroots, but they are individual Canadians with only one vote and therefore no different from anyone else in the country.... These people happen to be affluent and we're going to represent them as well as represent anybody else.

The member for Wild Rose said:

That's the way you do politics nowadays, you have to have money.... As long we keep reminding people, no matter who gives support and who comes aboard, it's one person, one vote.

Then they said their position on Kyoto was going to help them with their fundraising--

[Government Contracts, May 31st, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister said the same thing that he has been saying in the House. In a $170 billion a year organization mistakes are going to occur. They occur in the public sector. They occur in the private sector. Really what is at issue is transparency.

Once again, when is the Alliance Party going to truly buy into transparency? When is it going to support transparency in election campaigns so that the contributors of all those who participate in campaigns, even through the National Citizens' Coalition, are made public? Why is the Leader of the Opposition in the courts trying to hide money that goes into election campaigns?

[Government Contracts, May 31st, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, it will be hard to stop rolling one's eyes while that member is asking questions.

On the substantive issues, the truth is that we saw support for separatism rise in Quebec and we saw the visibility of Canada disappear during nine years of Tory government. We saw appeasement by Mulroney as he brought people like Lucien Bouchard and Marcel Masse into his cabinet repeatedly.

If our Prime Minister wants to wrap himself in the flag, I can say that everyone on this side of the House is prepared to wrap ourselves in that very same flag with him.

[Government Contracts, May 31st, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, that is an interesting question coming from the Conservative Party.

In nine years in office we saw the Conservatives strip the word “Canada” off everything from the post office to postal boxes. We saw ministers like Marcel Masse and Lucien Bouchard contribute to the disunity of this country. We saw the disappearance of Canadian flags and symbols in the province of Quebec because it might give offence to some who were supporters of the Conservative Party.

I suggest the hon. member--

[Government Contracts, May 31st, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, the member might want to have a look at the legislation that creates the office of the auditor general. She has all the powers that are necessary. We have made her reports public. I do not think there is any reason to duplicate the efforts that are already being undertaken by the auditor general.

[Government Contracts, May 31st, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, I believe the President of the Treasury Board responded to this question already this week indicating that in fact whistleblowing rules are in place to protect public servants who disclose wrongdoing that they encounter in the course of their duties. Those principles are respected.

I do not think there has been any shortage of information that is flowing to the public in any event through all of the means that are available to obtain it.

[Government Contracts, May 31st, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, we are the ones who asked the auditor general to conduct an investigation. The auditor general can carry out a public investigation. She is in a position to do so. We were the ones who agreed to refer the files to the RCMP.

There are therefore no problems with that. The transparency is there.

[Government Contracts, May 31st, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, that is certainly what the Prime Minister said. He said that we were going to correct the abuses and that those responsible will have to be held accountable.

The real problem for the Bloc Quebecois is not this program, or even the abuses. The problem for the Bloc Quebecois is that there has been a decline in the number of people who support them and their cause.