Lost his last election, in 2008, with 16% of the vote.
Vietnam May 3rd, 2000
Mr. Speaker, nine days ago, a Canadian citizen of Vietnamese origin, proclaiming her innocence, was tied to a post and shot.
My question is for the Prime Minister. On the eve of considering CIDA's estimates, what sort of excuses, what sort of statement is required from the Vietnamese government for relations between Canada and Vietnam to return to normal?
Foreign Affairs April 12th, 2000
Mr. Speaker, I have never seen so many spin doctors at work at the same time.
What I can say is that the Prime Minister is contradicting Canada's foreign policy, which can be found on its Internet site.
Is it not true that the Prime Minister is screwing up Canada's current foreign policy?
Foreign Affairs April 12th, 2000
What I can say is that the Prime Minister is busy rewriting Canadian foreign policy all by himself. Officially, Canada's foreign policy does not recognize Israeli control over the territories occupied in 1967, including the Golan heights.
Foreign Affairs April 12th, 2000
Mr. Speaker, that makes three strikes in three days. If it were baseball, the Prime Minister would be out.
Foreign Affairs April 12th, 2000
Mr. Speaker, in 24 hours the Prime Minister has succeeded in shocking Palestinian people on the issue of East Jerusalem.
Then, to get back on their good side, he said he would recognize a new declaration of independence of Palestine, making the Israeli people angry.
Yesterday, to try to fix his mistake, the PM made a comment about one of the most explosive subjects in the peace process in the Middle East, the ownership of the Sea of Galilee.
Once again, our message has to be heard. Will the cabinet bring the PM home before the next mistake du jour in the Middle East?
Middle East April 11th, 2000
Mr. Speaker, the Deputy Prime Minister should explain the Canadian position to the Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister claims to like clarity, but he generates confusion. After having always condemned the threat of a unilateral declaration of independence by Quebec, he would now give his blessing to such a declaration by Palestine.
There is no doubt that Palestine's situation may be different from that of Quebec but, according to the Prime Minister, there are similarities. In the case of Palestine, the Prime Minister says that if negotiations are no longer conducted in good faith by Israel, Canada would be prepared to recognize a unilateral declaration of independence, just as France seems to be prepared to do.
In the case of Quebec, paragraph 155 provides that if Canada refuses to negotiate in good faith, a declaration of independence by Quebec could be recognized, including by the international community. Is this a policy change?
Middle East April 11th, 2000
Mr. Speaker, it is obvious that the Prime Minister will not receive any Nobel Peace Prize for help in building peace in the Middle East. Instead of supporting the creation of a new Palestinian state within the peace process, the Prime Minister endangers the peace process by saying that he will recognize a UDI by Palestinians.
These comments were improper and show dramatic change in Canadian foreign policy. Is it not time for parliament to call the Prime Minister back to Canada before he further jeopardizes Canada's international reputation with respect to foreign policy in the Middle East?
Ethics Counsellor April 10th, 2000
Mr. Speaker, since the ethics commissioner is on the case, I think it would be much simpler to give him a little help.
So perhaps the Prime Minister should make a list of his friends and hand it over to the ethics commissioner for his immediate perusal, thus putting a stop to questions here in the House.
Will the minister responsible for the ethics commissioner uphold the law and ask all members of cabinet and the government not to have any dealings with individuals now under investigation in order to ensure that the government maintains its credibility, which is a bit shaky right now?
Ethics Counsellor April 10th, 2000
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's friends are looking shadier and shadier.
All of them seem to be under investigation at some point. There is René Fugère lobbying without proper registration, and Mr. Riopelle lobbying without registering his clients.
My question is for the minister responsible for the ethics commissioner. What measures does he intend to take to ensure that the government heads off events or investigations, instead of reacting to them?
Crown Corporations April 3rd, 2000
Mr. Speaker, I do not know what risk is involved in being the president of Canada Post. I do not know if a risk is involved. I have no idea. It is a monopoly, or almost.
On the subject of performance, last week we raised a problem. The Canada Lands Company lost $3 million in a single transaction, which was not really investigated. We asked for a copy of the report. The current president is going to get a $20,000 increase, if you can imagine that.
Could the President of the Treasury Board explain the performance?