Herb Gray

[Prime Minister, March 30th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I said yesterday that the agreement speaks for itself. If my hon. friend wants to get further evidence of the accuracy of what the Prime Minister and I have been saying in the House, let him look at the agreement dated September 29 between Park Inns and Placements Louis Michaud.

It says in part:

Whereas—Akimbo Development—on behalf of and as agent of Park Inns Canada Limited—and Park Inns hereinafter—referred to as “Akimbo”, purchased from J. & A. all of the Shares—

The agreement referred to the agreement of November 1, 1993—

[Prime Minister, March 30th, 2001]

No, Mr. Speaker.

[Prime Minister, March 30th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, again, the Prime Minister did not get involved. He no longer owned the shares after November 1, 1993. Once again, the parliamentary leader of the Bloc Quebecois said “Table the bill of sale and we will stop asking questions”.

The bill of sale was tabled, which means that the Bloc Quebecois violated its commitment to the House and to Canadians.

[Prime Minister, March 30th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is wrong. The Prime Minister did not get involved. The shares were sold by Mr. Prince to Mr. Michaud. That is the whole story.

Again, another member is showing his lack of trust in the Bloc Quebecois leadership by asking such questions. In spite of the commitment made by his parliamentary leader, when he asked that the bill of sale be tabled, they continue to ask similar questions.

[Prime Minister, March 30th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, there is no conflict of interest. The Prime Minister's shares were sold back in November 1993. When the lawyers prepared the documents, they did so prudently. It is a matter of the lawyers' decisions.

Once again, the hon. member's own parliamentary leader is the one she is attacking with her lack of confidence in asking these questions, when her leader has said that tabling the bill of sale would put an end to the situation.

[Prime Minister, March 30th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is showing a complete lack of confidence in her own parliamentary leader, who said in connection with the record of sale:

Let him provide that, and the problem will be over.

It has been provided, yet the hon. member keeps on with her questions. What lack of confidence in her own parliamentary leader.

[Prime Minister, March 30th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, she has misquoted the agreement of purchase and sale of November 1993. It spoke of approximately 22%.

The agreement by which Mr. Prince sold all the shares he had acquired from the Prime Minister in November 1993 said that in fact he had sold all the shares he had acquired. There are no missing shares except in the fog in the hon. member's brain.

[Prime Minister, March 30th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, first, the debt is not an interest in the golf course. Second, I think the documents are clear. Neither the Prime Minister nor any member of his family held an interest in the shares. They were all sold to Mr. Prince on November 1, 1993.

Again the hon. member is letting Canadians down, as is her party. It is failing in its duties as an opposition party by not asking questions of interest to Canadians as they affect the lives of Canadians in areas like health care, the environment, the economy, agriculture and softwood lumber. She and her party ought to go back to dealing with real issues of concern to real Canadians.

[Prime Minister, March 30th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is starting off on the wrong foot again.

There is no conflict of interest here on the part of the Prime Minister. This was demonstrated by the documents which have been tabled. The Prime Minister has been quite clear on this. It has been made quite clear by the agreement of sale between himself and Jonas Prince, and in Mr. Prince's later agreement of sale to Mr. Michaud of these very same shares.

There is no conflict of interest. Once again the opposition is failing Canadians with no questions about softwood lumber, no questions about agriculture, no questions about unemployment, no questions about the economy, no questions about the—

[Prime Minister, March 29th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, it is obvious that the hon. member has no confidence in his party's former House leader, the member for Roberval, when he says about the record of sale “Let him provide that, and the problem will be over“.

Why does he not accept the words of his own colleague, the member for Roberval?