Jim Hart

[Canadian Armed Forces, October 1st, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, why will this minister not show some competence and just do what is right for once?

The minister refuses to act on what appears to be a gross injustice. Time and time again we keep coming across instances where the military justice system goes on a witch hunt. Corporal Pernelle is being court martialled for telling the truth to the Somalia inquiry. Dean Marsaw has already been found guilty and is about to be kicked out of the forces. The whole investigation has been called into question.

To restore the integrity of the investigation of Commander Marsaw, will the minister bring the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in to conduct an investigation into the botched investigation?

[Canadian Armed Forces, October 1st, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, the military justice system was brought under a cloud because of the Somalia inquiry.

Last night CBC reported another example of the apparent failure of the military justice system under this Minister of National Defence.

Commander Dean Marsaw was court martialled and found guilty of verbal and physical misconduct. However, transcripts and videos of the investigations show the witnesses being badgered, called liars and being accused of not co-operating. Before Marsaw can be dismissed from the forces the minister must confirm the dismissal.

Will the minister show some support for the morale in the forces and immediately suspend the dismissal of Commander Marsaw?

[Canadian Armed Forces, September 27th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, the minister knows that he is clearly trying to confuse Canadians. He is comparing apples and oranges. We are talking about the executive branch of government issuing untendered contracts; leadership and responsibility with accountability, not interest at all costs.

While the defence minister was stuffing the pockets of his Liberal buddies, the family of Corporal Neil MacKinnon was trying in vain to find out exactly how its son was killed.

First, Mr. and Mrs. MacKinnon were lied to and then the lie was covered up for over a year. The command inspector will not be investigating this shameful incident. People have been charged in Corporal MacKinnon's death but no one is being held accountable for the lies his parents had to endure for over a year.

Why does the defence minister's leadership stop at the bank for his Liberal friends when it never made it to the home of Corporal Neil MacKinnon?

[Canadian Armed Forces, September 27th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, again Canadians will not be happy with the fox writing his own rules when it comes to guarding the chicken house.

The Prime Minister and the defence minister clearly are putting their self-interests ahead of leading the Canadian military by failing to uphold ethical standards. By rewarding Joe Thornley and Stephanos Karabecos with lucrative contracts they have shown that they put their personal self-interests and financial betterment of friends above rank and file troops in our Canadian Armed Forces.

To demonstrate to members of the Canadian Armed Forces that their interests and their morale are paramount, will the government conduct an official review of the tendering process for the Thornley contract?

[Canadian Armed Forces, September 27th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister and the defence minister have demonstrated to Canadians their lack of leadership, and by their lack of leadership they have allowed morale in the Canadian Armed Forces to plummet.

Instead of restoring morale, they have been lining the pockets of their Liberal campaign workers. The defence department budget was meant to protect Canada's interests, not as a personal slush fund for friends of the Prime Minister and his cabinet.

To the acting Prime Minister, why is the Liberal government spending more money rewarding its friends than it is restoring morale in the Canadian Armed Forces?

[Government Contracts, September 26th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, it is scandalous what is happening in the House today. The Prime Minister is willing to follow Mr. Mulroney's guidelines but refuses to follow his own guidelines. This Liberal government and ethics continue to have a long distance feeling.

The defence minister's pork barrelling clearly breaks the Prime Minister's conflict of interest guidelines and the Prime Minister refuses to do anything about it.

Will the Prime Minister show some leadership today and live up to his own ethical guidelines and cancel this contract?

[Government Contracts, September 26th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, let me remind the Prime Minister of his conflict of interest code which states in black and white that a public office holder shall not accord preferential treatment in relation to any official matter to friends or to any organization in which they have an interest.

Thornley is a friend of the Liberal Party and he received preferential treatment.

Will the Prime Minister show some leadership, enforce his own code of conduct and put an end to this patronage contract?

[Government Contracts, September 26th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister supports the defence minister's sleazy pork barrelling. Let me remind-

[Government Contracts, September 25th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, if those are the guidelines, Canadians are saying change the guidelines.

The defence minister has been too busy paying off Liberal friends to worry about morale in the forces. He has been using his budget as a slush fund to keep Liberal buddies rolling in dough. Not only that, the only reason he gave the untendered contract was because the defence minister's former press secretary told him to.

What kind of example does the Prime Minister think this sets for rank and file people in the military when their boss is filling the pockets of Liberal pals?

[Government Contracts, September 25th, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister says that he does not have a problem if he does not fire a minister. That is ostrich logic and I would like to tell the Prime Minister he has a problem here.

The defence minister has been demonstrating a lack of leadership and abusing his budget for months now. Yesterday we learned of a new contract issued to Mr. Stephanos Karabekos. Today we learn he rewarded his Liberal buddy, Joe Thornley, with an untendered contract for $50,000.

Does the Prime Minister endorse the defence minister's sleazy, pork barrel politics as a way to restore morale in the Canadian Armed Forces?