Bob Rae

[National Defence, December 12th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, it seems that the F-35 issue is a fiasco that has happened without anyone taking any responsibility for it in the government. The Prime Minister says that a few officials may not have provided enough information, but that is not, in fact, what either the Parliamentary Budget Officer or the Auditor General of Canada had to say. What they said was that information in the hands of the government was not brought forward to Parliament, was not brought forward to those making decisions and was not brought forward in a timely fashion in a way to end the incompetence, the contempt, and in fact, the corruption of a process that no one on that side wants to take responsibility for.

[National Defence, December 11th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister just admitted that the government's cost calculations do not reflect the real cost. That is the opinion of the Auditor General and the private sector.

However, the question remains: why is the government replacing the CF-18s without going for the best price and the best value? That is the question. What is the government's response?

[National Defence, December 11th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I have heard government members talk about $9 million and I have even heard them admit to $16 billion. I have heard those two figures admitted to. I have never heard them admit to $20 billion, $26 billion, $30 billion, $40 billion or $46 billion. They have concealed the real costs from Canadians from the beginning. Why no competitive bid?

[National Defence, December 11th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, given the now inflated price that is being discussed by KPMG and others with respect to the F-35, vastly greater than any price ever admitted to by any member of the front bench of the Conservative Party, I wonder if the Prime Minister could explain to Canadians why he is not going to competitive bid for a replacement for the CF-18s.

[Questions on the Order Paper, December 10th, 2012]

With regard to navigable waters, what is the rationale for the inclusion in Schedule 2 of Bill C-45, A second Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on March 29, 2012 and other measures, of: (a) each of the 100 oceans or lakes listed in Part 1 of Schedule 2; and (b) each of the 62 rivers or riverines listed in Part 2 of Schedule 2?

[Foreign Investment, December 10th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, during an election campaign the Prime Minister was quite happy to tell Canadians that there was a firm contract and that anybody who decided to rip up that contract would be acting against the best interests of the country. Now he says exactly the opposite.

On the Nexen file, is the Prime Minister prepared to make public today the commitments that the Chinese company has made with respect to the purchase of Nexen and that Petronas has made with respect to its purchase? Are those terms and conditions going to be made public, yes or no?

[National Defence, December 10th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of National Defence said this about the F-35s on September 15, 2010: “If we don't make this purchase, there is a real danger we'll be unable to defend our airspace, unable to exercise our sovereignty, or unable to share our responsibilities through both NORAD and NATO.”

We have a right to know: whether the minister right when he said that in 2010, or is the Minister of Public Works correct now in saying that there are no contracts—

[National Defence, December 10th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, on November 3, 2010, in speaking of the F-35 contract, the Prime Minister said “It would be a mistake to rip up this contract for our men and women in uniform as well as the aerospace industry”.

Does the Prime Minister now stand by those words, or is he admitting that in fact there is no such contract, that there is no such deal and that the government is completely floundering in the face of additional information from KPMG and others?

[Foreign Affairs, December 6th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, on the same point, the reports indicate very clearly that anonymous sources within the U.S. state department are leaking information that Syria may be loading warheads with chemical weapons and there is a report that a possible French attack, joined by others against the Assad regime, could begin very soon.

Obviously I am not asking the Minister of Foreign Affairs to disclose any secrets, but can he tell us whether or not he has been in touch with his colleagues in other capitals with respect to this issue of chemical weapons and whether Canada will be part of any international action that could take place?

[National Defence, December 6th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, during the course of question period, the Minister of Public Works and Government Services made what I thought was an astonishing admission when she stated with respect to the F-35 committee that in fact, after the Auditor General's report, their work was open and transparent, which implies that before the Auditor General's report the opposite was the case.

I would like to ask the Prime Minister if he could explain why the report we have all been waiting for, the KPMG report, is still on the desk of the minister and has not been shared with the House. We have about 10 days to go before the end of the session. Can we have the assurance of the government that we will in fact have this material before the House adjourns in the middle of December?