Douglas Young

[Somalia Inquiry, March 10th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, to find out as much as possible is in everyone's best interests as long as the information available is of some contemporary utility.

As recently as September of last year the hon. leader of the third party felt it was appropriate to try to get to the recommendations of the commission of inquiry before a federal election. As a government we have extended for the third time the mandate of this commission. We recognize that not everyone is satisfied with that decision.

The hon. member speaks about the recommendations of the commissioners of inquiry. I recall there were three recommendations in the last letter. As I remember the text of the letter, one recommendation clearly indicated that the ultimate scenario would be that the commission would not finish its work until at the earliest the end of 1998. At some point you have to decide what you think is in the best interest.

If the hon. member would check with members of the Canadian forces and with most of the people who have been observing the

work of the commission of inquiry, he would find there is a fair amount of support for the decision the government took.

[Somalia Inquiry, March 10th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, one of the things that is a requirement for the minister of defence as well as for any other minister who is involved in serious problems that confront the government and the nation is to take advice from as many sources as possible.

It was not very long ago that the hon. leader of the third party was asking the Prime Minister of Canada to guarantee that the commission of inquiry on Somalia end its work before the next federal election.

I have tried to take advice from as many sources as possible, but in the final analysis the Government of Canada made the decision to extend the Somalia commission of inquiry for a third time and to ask it to please report by the end of June, which would be in excess of two years after it began an inquiry that was scheduled to finish in December 1995.

[Veterans Affairs, March 6th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I welcome the question from the hon. member. It must be spring; she is back.

As far as the question she has just posed, all the decisions that are being taken with respect to veterans take into account the service the hon. member has made reference to. We will try to make sure veterans who require help, whether it is in hospital or in other facilities, get the support they need from the Canadian people.

It is one of the reasons we believe Canadians from coast to coast to coast still have great confidence in the Canadian forces today, regardless of all the difficult things we are going through just because of the service of the veterans. We will continue to take care of veterans in the future as we have in the past to the very best of our ability.

[National Defence, March 5th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member has made a number of comments in his question including illegal poison pen letters.

The hon. member is well aware of the rules of the House. Making allegations that people have committed illegal acts is something members who are often considered honourable can do in the House. I have again learned from experience. They have great reluctance expressing those kind of views outside where the protection of the House does not prevail.

[National Defence, March 5th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. gentleman has indicated that he is prepared to make the documents to which he refers available to members of the House.

We will be very pleased to look at them and to consider what is actually in them, because I have learned from experience that what they wave in the House and refer to is often quite different from what we find if they get around to tabling anything.

[Somalia Inquiry, March 3rd, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, to be very honest with the hon. gentlemen, as I say, I will look at the letter when he sends it to me in which Jean Boyle said "do not" or "do" shut down the inquiry, whatever the quote was.

However, in the time I have been Minister of National Defence, General Boyle did not have much time to give me much advice.

[Somalia Inquiry, March 3rd, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member referred to a letter allegedly written by Jean Boyle in which he said: Do not investigate the cover-up. If the hon. member would send me a copy of the letter I would be happy to respond to the question, and specifically to the quote to which he has just referred.

[Somalia Inquiry, February 20th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, of course the elements that are raised by my hon. friend are important. That is why the Somalia commission of inquiry has been working now for nearly two years. By the end of June, after three extensions, it will have caused some $25 million to have been spent.

With respect to the specific incidents that occurred in Somalia which the hon. member refers to, I hope that after all of this work the conclusions and the recommendations of the Somalia commission of inquiry will be useful to all Canadians, including the hon. member and the government.

[Points Of Order, February 18th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, as the Chair will know, there is a major presentation to be made to the House this afternoon.

In question period this afternoon the hon. member for Beaver River referred to parliamentarians as parliamentary porkers and I want to apologize because in response to that I said something relating to pork. I think the words were totally inappropriate and I want to withdraw those words.

[Canadian Embassy In Washington, February 18th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, as I have said three times, when we learned, through the newspapers, that an employee of the American government, in a dispute with his boss, alleged that discussions had taken place concerning a representative of a government of a Canadian province, obviously we asked what exactly had taken place.

According to the information I have received, which is very limited, I am told that it was a question of finding out whether the gentleman in question was attending a breakfast.

This is not something I consider to be spying, even from the perspective of separatists.