Denis Coderre

[Ethics, March 25th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, let us talk about what happened in 2004 when the Prime Minister tried to get in bed with the Bloc Québécois after he took the first steps to meet with that party. Where was that meeting held? We could talk about that at length.

I want to talk about Bruce Carson, the former chief of staff and advisor to the Prime Minister. He was disbarred for stealing from clients. We call that white collar crime. He went to prison for that. He apparently has a thing for escorts. He is a manipulator and he could be the target of blackmail. What is more, Carson is currently being investigated by the RCMP.

Can the Conservatives explain to us how this guy got security clearance?

[Ethics, March 24th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, if he continues to play the clown, the hon. member could get a job with the Cirque du Soleil.

Bruce Carson was appointed to head the Canada School of Energy and Environment. Its $15 million budget is 100% funded by Ottawa. A budget like that was given to man who had been disbarred and imprisoned for defrauding clients. He is what is called a white collar criminal.

This Carson fellow escorts his minister pals, substitutes for them with full authority, and says he has received direct assignments. This school is starting to look like a front, and a Conservative cover for Carson.

Why was this person given so many privileges?

[Ethics, March 24th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, Bruce Carson is being investigated by the RCMP for influence-peddling.

In his official biography, Carson says the Minister of Natural Resources gave him various duties.

What duties has Bruce Carson performed for the Quebec lieutenant?

[Ethics, March 23rd, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, let me try something else.

The Conservatives created the Canadian School of Energy and Environment at the cost of $15 million, which is nothing to scoff at. Carson's biography on the school's website indicates that since joining CSEE, Carson has taken on several roles at the request of the Minister of the Environment, Jim Prentice, the former Minister of Natural Resources, and the current Minister of Natural Resources. Oops—the cat is out of the bag. Now Carson is talking about the Conservatives' Quebec lieutenant and the Minister of Labour.

Do these ministers feel the need to confess anything to the House or the RCMP? Can they tell us what is going on with their friend, Carson?

[Ethics, March 23rd, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, how do you spell cheat?

We will try again in French, to see if the member can give us an answer.

The Conservatives say that Bruce Carson left his position in February 2009. I hope everyone is keeping up with me so far. The problem is that Carson spent the rest of the year escorting Conservative ministers. In 2009, the American Department of Energy listed Carson as a special advisor to the Minister of the Environment, Jim Prentice, during a meeting. But Carson was such a good escort that in September, Prentice did not even attend the multilateral meeting at the American state department and Carson went without him.

So, when did he leave his position again?

[Champlain Bridge, March 22nd, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, I did not put a question to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food about crumbs to fix potholes, but rather about people's safety, about getting the straight goods. We do not want a letter, we want tests. That is the problem. I did not hear anyone challenge the experts who said there are problems and related risks, to the point where the Champlain Bridge should be replaced with a new structure. They said that some part or a span of the bridge could collapse. Every day, 7,000 vehicles cross that bridge.

The clock is ticking. What is the government waiting for to build a new bridge? Does it not prefer that option, rather than being taken to court for criminal negligence?

[Champlain Bridge, March 22nd, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, we know the budget priorities of the Conservatives: fighter jets for the forces and megaprisons. They have billions of dollars available for those purposes. Money is no object. Meanwhile, since the Conservatives took office, the number of troubling reports on the deterioration of the Champlain Bridge has been increasing.

Did it not occur to members opposite that, if there had been a tendering process for the F-35, we could have saved a few billions of dollars and done more than just patching up the bridge and in fact build a new one?

[United Nations Security Council Resolution Concerning Libya, March 21st, 2011]

Mr. Chair, I would like to thank the hon. member for his speech.

It is clear that, as a nation, we need to strike and do our job in this situation.

Given that my colleague is also the foreign affairs critic, I think we need to do as he said and make a diplomatic effort as well. The message that is coming across today is unfortunately one of ambiguity in terms of the ramifications. Things are happening in places other than Libya—in Egypt, Tunisia and Syria as well.

I would like my colleague to share his opinion about how this ambiguity could be cleared up, so that the entire Arab community can also play a role in helping the Libyan people get through this. How does the member see its role, both in military and diplomatic terms?

[United Nations Security Council Resolution Concerning Libya, March 21st, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, I would also like to say that we support the troops. Canada had a duty to participate in this mission. However, I do have some questions for my hon. colleague, the Minister of National Defence.

Obviously, Canadians are watching us and are thinking of the people of Libya who are suffering greatly right now.

We have seen human shields being used. Canada has carried out its first operation but there were no ground attacks. There were ground attacks by other countries. For example, France made 55 ground attacks.

What is Canada's position on human shields? When we adopted the resolution, Benghazi was already under siege. Must we carry out a military operation when the primary rebel stronghold is under siege? Will air attacks be enough? Does the government plan on sending in ground troops?

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, March 21st, 2011]

With regard to the government's lifting of the protected area designation of the Edehzhie area of the Northwest Territories, were any Members of Parliament, cabinet ministers, parliamentary secretaries, deputy ministers, director generals, or members of cabinet ministers' staff or parliamentary secretaries' staff lobbied by, or did they communicate in any way with, Olivut Investments, Lani Keough or any agents or lobbyists acting on behalf of either Olivut Investments or Lani Keough about opening the Edehzhie Candidate Protected Area for exploration or mining development?