James Moore

[Ethics, June 10th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I think Mr. Perrin has spoken for himself in the statement he gave publicly, but I am pretty pleased that the member for Wascana has raised the issue of a dirty deal.

I think to the taxpayers, it is a pretty dirty deal. The Liberal member of Parliament for Ottawa Centre, now a Liberal senator for Ottawa Centre, bills taxpayers for the cost of living in Ottawa Centre. He lives here. The actual institution of the Senate is physically in his district, yet he claims $50,000 in living allowances for coming to work in the Senate.

How can the Liberals actually, with a straight face, pretend to stand up for the middle class, when Liberal senators are stealing money from taxpayers?

[Ethics, June 10th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has been very clear. However, I appreciate the member for Wascana raising the issue of deals, because we heard over the weekend the Liberal leader defend Senator Mac Harb.

Here is the deal that he made for himself. Mac Harb was a Liberal member of Parliament for Ottawa Centre. He is now a Liberal senator for Ottawa Centre. He has claimed $50,000 in living allowances for living away from home, in Ottawa Centre.

Taxpayers want to know from the Liberal Party why it is that they are so high and mighty in asking for accountability from some senators but are not holding Liberal senators accountable when they rip off taxpayers.

[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, June 6th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I know it is always difficult to ask a question that was just answered, but I appreciate my colleague's support on this.

As I just said in English, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Société Radio-Canada in French, is Canada's public broadcaster. It must carry clearly Canadian content in Canada's two official languages in every part of this country.

It must be proudly Canadian in content and in name, period.

[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, June 6th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question.

I spoke with the president of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation today and made it very clear that Canada's public broadcaster should be obviously Canadian.

In the Broadcasting Act, Canada's public broadcaster's name is the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation; in French, Société Radio-Canada.

I said to Hubert Lacroix, the president of the CBC, today that Canadian taxpayers will support a Canadian public broadcaster only if it ensures that the Canadian public broadcaster is Canadian in content, in name, in both official languages, in every part of this country.

[Government Accountability, June 6th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, the principle and mandate on which we were elected was to build a stronger and healthier country, and look at where Canada is today: the best job record in the G7, lowest taxes in 50 years, violent crime rates down and the biggest infrastructure program in the history of this country.

Again, the NDP should not be pointing at the government and what it means for someone to become an independent. It was an NDP member of Parliament who kept his word and stood with his constituents on the long gun registry, and the NDP leader's response was to throw him out of the party for keeping his word.

[Government Accountability, June 6th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has shown openness. We put forward our accountability act.

He has answered questions very clearly here, in the House, day in and day out, as Canadians deserve.

Equally, if the NDP is so strident about what it means when a member of the caucus leaves its party and what can be read into that, then what is to be read into the NDP leader's track record? There are three former NDP MPs who have left. One is the in the Liberal Party, one is an independent and one went back to the Bloc Québécois. Who else is going to go back and join the Bloc over there?

[Ethics, June 6th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has been very clear on this matter. Indeed, it was our government, when we were first elected in 2006, that put forward Bill C-2, the Federal Accountability Act.

The Liberal Party talks about principled Conservatives. The truth is that Canadians were looking for a principled government, and principled Canadian voters abandoned the Liberal Party.

[Ethics, June 6th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, that is what the Prime Minister said. It is very important that every senator and every MP be held accountable and show respect for taxpayers.

The Liberal Party should also show this type of leadership with their Senate colleague who is currently avoiding her obligation to pay her taxes in Canada by hiding her money offshore.

[Ethics, June 6th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, again, the Prime Minister was very clear on that matter. As soon as the information was made available to him, he made the information available publicly. Nigel Wright has taken sole responsibility for his personal behaviour, which is exactly as it should be.

If the Liberal Party believes in getting to the bottom of these matters, it should make sure that it holds its own Senate colleagues accountable for their behaviour. Liberal millionaire senators are hiding their tax obligations from the Government of Canada, and they should cut it out.

[Ethics, June 6th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has been very clear on this matter, and my hon. colleague knows that there are independent authorities looking into this matter.

That is very different from what the Liberal Party is doing with its own Liberal senators. We know of Senator Merchant, who has $1.7 million in an offshore account, avoiding paying taxes.

Why is it that the Liberals are protecting the status quo and protecting their own millionaire senators from having to pay their taxes?