Diane Finley

[Ethics, March 12th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member should get her facts right. What the ethics commissioner said in her report was, in fact, that the Prime Minister had absolutely no involvement in the decision making on this project to help the disabled have better access at the Markham centre.

That decision was mine. I did so believing, as I always have, that this project was in the best interest of the community. It was a worthy project and it was in the public interest.

[Ethics, March 12th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, as the ethics commissioner said, the Prime Minister had absolutely no involvement in the funding of this centre to improve accessibility for the handicapped in Markham. That was very clear.

All along, I believed that this project was a worthwhile one that was in the best public interest.

[Ethics, March 12th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, the ethics commissioner made it very clear that the Prime Minister had no participation in this decision, which projects were evaluated, or even how they were evaluated, and what was awarded any funding.

When it comes to corruption, I would remind the member that he is sitting in a party that used be government, and when it was government, it took $40 million of taxpayers' dollars that is still unaccounted for.

[Ethics, March 12th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, she also found that not only was I not friends with Rabbi Mendelsohn , but, in fact, we had never met.

I believe that this project to improve accessibility for the disabled in Markham was a worthy project.

[Ethics, March 12th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, if the hon. member had actually read the report, he would have found that the commission made it very clear that neither I nor any member of my family or my friends had any personal interest in this particular—

[Ethics, March 12th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, our government is very proud to have launched the enabling accessibility fund, which has helped millions of people across the country to have full inclusion and the ability to participate. It is unfortunate that the NDP voted against this program that has benefited virtually all of their constituents.

I always knew there was value in this project. I always believed it would be in the public interest. I co-operated fully during the three years of this investigation.

[Ethics, March 12th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, as I have said several times, I have always believed that this project to improve access to the Markham centre for people with disabilities was worthwhile and in the public interest.

I myself made the decision, and I have always believed that this project was good for the people of Markham.

[Ethics, March 11th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member should get her facts straight.

I have always believed that this was a worthwhile project in the public interest, and in fact neither I nor any of my family or friends had any personal interest in this matter.

Far from being friends with Rabbi Mendelsohn, we have never even met. The Commissioner recognized that.

When the hon. member talks about corruption, she should remember that her government disappeared with $40 million of taxpayers' money that has never been recovered.

[Ethics, March 11th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, that is not true at all.

I always believed that this project to improve access for people with disabilities was valid and in the public interest.

Neither I nor my family nor my friends had any personal stake in this. What is more, I have never met Rabbi Mendelsohn.

[Ethics, March 11th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, as I said, I always believed that this was a valid project for improving access for people with disabilities.

I co-operated fully with the commissioner's investigation, which lasted three years and I testified to the best of my abilities.