Herb Gray

[Industry Canada, April 25th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I am also answering for the Minister of Industry today.

The hon. member has asked an interesting question. I will have to check to see whether what he is saying is accurate. I will look into it, and either myself or the Minister of Industry will get back to him before too long.

[Gasoline Prices, April 25th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, we have the competition bureau to receive evidence. If there is evidence, it should be passed along to the competition bureau.

However, regulating the retail price of gasoline is a provincial matter. If the member is serious with his question, why does he not approach his colleagues in Quebec to get this matter settled?

[Prime Minister, April 25th, 2001]

No, Mr. Speaker, absolutely not.

[Prime Minister, April 25th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I totally reject the premise of the hon. member's question.

The ethics counsellor reported on this matter and clearly stated in a press release dated March 1, 2001, in connection with the company, in which the Prime Minister had an interest, as follows:

The company sold its interests in the Auberge Grand-Mère to Mr. Yvon Duhaime. This company was paid in full by the summer of 1993.

Therefore, there were no continuing financial links between Mr. Duhaime and the Prime Minister after the middle of 1993.

[Ethics Counsellor, April 25th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, there is no need and no basis for the kind of inquiry sought by the hon. member. The ethics counsellor, a distinguished permanent career public servant, has looked into the matter and found no breach of ethics. The RCMP has looked into the matter and found nothing to go on.

I see the desperation of the Alliance Party by this renewed attempt to detract attention from its own implosion and disruption in trying to raise this matter rather than conditions and questions of interest to Canadians. Why does it not get back on track before it disintegrates completely?

[Ethics Counsellor, April 25th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member has now found a new way to sink to a new low, attacking the integrity of a distinguished public servant. He ought to be ashamed of himself. He must have travelled a long way to get even deeper in the mud than he is already.

[Business Development Bank Of Canada, April 25th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, it has been put on record many times that the decision was made within the bank according to its usual practices.

A validation of the decision by the bank is through the fact that the local caisse populaire and the Fonds de solidarité des travailleurs du Québec looked at this project and decided to share in its financing. They were not linked in any way with the Prime Minister who made representations properly as a member of parliament.

The decision was made within the bank. It was validated by the caisse populaire and the worker solidarity fund. If the hon. member wants to attack these arm's length bodies, it shows just how weak and empty his arguments are in this matter.

[Business Development Bank Of Canada, April 25th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, neither the Prime Minister nor his staff was involved in any effort to get a court order on this matter. I challenge the accuracy of the hon. member's remarks about destruction of documents.

In any event this was done by the bank, an arm's length agency from the federal government. The Prime Minister was not involved.

[The Prime Minister, April 23rd, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I will repeat my previous answer. The answer is no.

[Prime Minister, April 23rd, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, no.