House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2000, with 54% of the vote.
Literary Works December 13th, 2001
Mr. Speaker, there is no such thing as a formal viceregal role for the spouse of the Governor General. Mr. Saul is entitled to express his opinions as a private citizen. I wonder why the Leader of the Opposition is so ready to confirm that things are going so well that this is the only topic he can raise, not the budget, not health care, not the war in Afghanistan. I would like to thank the Leader of the Opposition for his strong endorsement of the government.
Literary Works December 13th, 2001
Mr. Speaker, I invite the Leader of the Opposition to come into the 21st century. If he lives in Stornoway with his wife, does he mean his wife shares every one of his opinions?
Literary Works December 13th, 2001
Mr. Speaker, it should be obvious that these comments were made by Mr. Saul as a private citizen. He is not an extension of his spouse. I am surprised that the Leader of the Opposition is back in the 19th century in assuming that one spouse is the extension of another spouse for their ideas. He ought to get into the 21st century and realize that Mr. Saul is speaking as a private citizen on his own behalf.
Minister for International Cooperation December 11th, 2001
Mr. Speaker, I have to ask the hon. lady how she can teach anybody about parliamentary procedure and conduct of ministers after what she did in leaving the Alliance Party and joining the Conservative Party.
What she says is wrong. The hon. minister has not been found to have broken Ontario election law. There has been no charge, no trial and no conviction. Therefore what the hon. member is saying is contrary to the principles of Canadian and British justice, and she ought to apologize to the House for her unwarranted comments.
Minister for International Cooperation December 10th, 2001
It is the hon. minister's position that she was a tenant in the ward where there was a byelection and as such she was entitled to vote in that byelection.
My hon. friend's wrongful assertion that in doing so she broke the law is contrary to the principles of Canadian and British justice. He is the guy who ought to go back to the drawing board and get the facts both on the minister's proper conduct and what the law actually says in this regard.
Minister for International Cooperation December 10th, 2001
Mr. Speaker, it would be very nice if the hon. member based his question on facts. Only one fact in his question is correct: she did vote in this municipal ward byelection.
However it is not a fact to say that she voted incorrectly or that she admitted to voting incorrectly. Her position is that what she did was correct and so far nobody at the judicial level has concluded otherwise. The hon. member ought to withdraw his unwarranted remarks.
The Economy December 10th, 2001
Mr. Speaker, I am not a deputy minister and I do not expect ever to be one, although it is a distinguished position.
I want to say to my hon. friend that he is speaking with such certainty on assertions in the newspapers that I really want to know what, beyond that, is the basis for those assertions. If they turn out to be factual, will he submit himself immediately to not just investigation but conviction the way his colleagues have called for, for the Minister for International Trade?
The Economy December 10th, 2001
Mr. Speaker, in a little more than an hour the House will have the budget and the facts of its content.
If the hon. member knows exactly what is in the budget at this point he ought to submit himself to investigation by the authorities because he is clearly in breach of a constitutional and parliamentary principle. He ought to get up and admit that he either does not know what he is talking about or, if he does, why he has broken the law.
The Budget December 10th, 2001
Mr. Speaker, I wonder if the hon. member could tell us how he knows for a fact that the allegations in the press are leaks. If he knows that, then he has obtained information and is talking about it in a way that may well lead to his being under inquiry himself. Perhaps he could explain the basis for his question.
Minister for International Cooperation December 10th, 2001
Mr. Speaker, I am really surprised that the hon. member, a lawyer of long standing, has forgotten or is deliberately--perhaps not deliberately, I had better withdraw that--overlooking basic principles of Canadian and British justice that someone does something illegal when it is found to be so by a court, after a charge has been laid and the charge has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt. This has not happened here. The minister acted in good faith, as I have said before, based on information obtained for her from the municipal authorities by her staff.