Herb Gray

[Auditor General's Report, December 6th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, it is amazing, the nerve of the Conservative Party and its allies. After they built up a $42 billion deficit, after they added astronomical amounts to the national debt and the steps they took which we are correcting, they now get up to try to attack us on financial management overall. I am surprised they even raise this as a question. I repeat, the auditor general said:

“the federal government has taken steps to strengthen financial management in its departments and agencies.

I think the report has many positive observations about what the government is doing as well as criticisms, and on balance he should recognize that.

[Auditor General's Report, December 6th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member's question is amazingly empty of substance. They must really be in trouble.

[Finance, December 6th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, we have already taken steps to offset the effects of a possible recession. We have a $100 billion tax plan. We have $21 billion in additional spending for health care. We have our infrastructure program. We have our low income housing program. We have a program under way, but we are part of the world.

Only the NDP could be in such a dream world not to recognize that the economies of the world are slowing down. We do our utmost but we may not be able to escape the impact of that entirely.

[Finance, December 6th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is wrong. The Minister of Finance was not wrong. He did better than his predictions. He should be praised for that. Only the NDP would turn things upside down in such a foolish way.

[Terrorism, December 6th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, there is balance in our approach and I think I can say on behalf of the government that there is no country, except perhaps for the United States, that stands up in a more forthright and balanced way for Israel.

I want to point out that the declaration at the Geneva conference also said:

--the Palestinian Authority should ensure respect for the universal principles of International Humanitarian Law, including the protection of Israeli civilians--

This is part of Canada's statement of reservation criticizing the declaration at that meeting. The hon. member should recognize that and admit that because the decency and balance of these important--

[Terrorism, December 6th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, as the Prime Minister said yesterday, we believe it is better to attend gatherings like the one in question to speak out against what we consider unacceptable. I do not see why the hon. member would want us not to do something constructive like that. After all, at the conference Canada issued a statement. Its first paragraph began:

Canadians were outraged by the recent, indiscriminate attacks in Jerusalem and Haifa, and offer their sympathy to the victims and their families. There can be no justification for these horrific acts. They serve only to demonstrate contempt for the universal humanitarian principles which have brought all of us into this room today.

[Auditor General's Report, December 6th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, we have already increased health spending by $21 billion.

So the hon. member is mistaken, as usual. He should get help for his terrible addiction to saying things that are not true as soon as possible.

[Auditor General's Report, December 6th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition is addicted in a very sick way to making statements that have no basis in fact. He ignores the fact that we were faced with a $42 billion deficit from his Conservative friends. We eliminated that.

We not only balanced the budget. We went on to have three successive years of surpluses. In addition, we have paid down the nation debt, freeing up billions of dollars, freeing up some $2.5 billion every year for constructive spending.

If the hon. member were fair and balanced and did not have an addiction to imaginary statements, he would recognize these strong points.

[Auditor General's Report, December 6th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member has mischaracterized the comments of the auditor general. She pointed out:

The federal government has taken steps to strengthen financial management in its departments and agencies.

I take note of the call of the Leader of the Opposition for additional spending. It is an interesting comment from the Alliance Party.

We will be having what I am sure will be an excellent budget in a few days. I am sure that the needs of Canadians will be well recognized in that budget.

[Business Development Bank of Canada, December 5th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, it is one of the basic principles of Canadian and British justice that those who assert must prove. It is not up to the Prime Minister to prove that he was acting in the right way, although in fact he was. It is up to the hon. member and those who have these fanciful, wrong allegations to bring forward their evidence.

The hon. member is wrong. The RCMP has not found any wrongdoing. The member ought to withdraw his unwarranted assertions if he has any decency at all.