Bob Rae

[Questions on the Order Paper, September 20th, 2010]

With regard to Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) funding for groups which focus on women’s rights advocacy or strengthening civil society, since 2006: (a) how many groups have had their funding cut or reduced by CIDA; (b) what are the names of the groups that have been affected; (c) in total, how much money has been cut or redirected away from the groups mentioned in (b); (d) where has the money been redirected; and (e) what are the details of any correspondence or minutes of meetings that took place regarding the funding of women’s advocacy groups?

[Air India, June 17th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the Prime Minister's answer but it has to be said that the commissioner takes the unusual step in his report of saying that even up to the point of the evidence presented by the government before the commission, even during the last two or three years, he did not detect a change of attitude on the part of those agencies, not only with respect to what had happened in 1985 and the years before and immediately after, but even up until today.

There is a culture of complacency, which is dangerous for the country. I wonder if the Prime Minister can tell us what specific steps he intends to take to ensure—

[Air India, June 17th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, on page 146 of his report, the commissioner clearly states that there are still problems, even with some of the agencies' testimony before the commission. He discovered a sunny attitude that was not based on the facts or the reality. He clearly said that the commission took issue with that sunny attitude.

What will the Prime Minister do to ensure that the attitude of those agencies changes—

[Air India, June 17th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, I have a question for the Prime Minister about the Air India inquiry.

First, I want to say very clearly that we commend the Government of Canada for having commissioned this inquiry and we commend the commissioner for his extraordinary work and his great diligence, and I am sure all Canadians stand in solidarity with the Air India families.

But the question remains, and it is a difficult question for the Prime Minister. In his report, Commissioner Major criticized the complacent attitude of the agencies, even in speaking to the commission, concerning the problems that have not yet been resolved.

What does the Prime Minister—

[G8 and G20 Summits, June 15th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, I will return the favour to the Prime Minister and say that those comments are also totally false.

However, the real question is why we have an extraordinary number of contracts being let without tender and without competition, single source contracts, and we need to recognize the degree of the problem.

Is the Prime Minister prepared to accept any degree of responsibility on his part and on the part of his government for all the changes that took place and all the shifting of ground that took place for the change of venue? Where is the responsibility--

[G8 and G20 Summits, June 15th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the Prime Minister a very simple question about responsibility.

Is the Prime Minister at least prepared to accept some degree of responsibility on behalf of the Conservative government for the fact that there are untendered contracts, for the fact that the conference venue has changed and for the fact that the guest list is still changing? There must be some reason why the costs are so high in Canada, but not in Italy or Great Britain or even the United States, which is very concerned about security.

[G8 and G20 Summits, June 15th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, I will start again.

According to the University of Toronto, last year's conference in L'Aquila cost $260 million. The G20 meeting in Pittsburgh cost a total of $18 million.

So what is the reason for the huge differences between the past two conferences in Europe and the United States and the $1 billion the Government of Canada has spent? What is the reason for the difference?

[G8 and G20 Summits, June 15th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, according to the University of Toronto, the G8 conference in L'Aquila cost $260 million—

[Public Safety, May 26th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, I wonder if the minister would accept a modicum of the government's responsibility for what has taken place. The Conservatives changed their minds about the sites. They changed their minds about who would be invited. It has been improvisation with respect to the agenda. Nothing has stayed constant, and nothing has stayed true.

I wonder if the minister would accept that there is at least a degree of incompetence, a degree of a haphazard approach, to the planning for these summits. It explains why there is such a high cost and such a cost overrun.

[Public Safety, May 26th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Public Safety knows very well that the cost of security for the Olympic Games, which lasted almost four weeks, was less than $800 million.

How does he explain the soaring cost of security for the meetings to be held in Huntsville and Toronto in a few weeks? Why is the cost of security for these summits more than $800 million?