Jean Chrétien

[Somalia Inquiry, February 5th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, that is a question the minister of defence has answered many times. There is an inquiry and the inquiry can call any witness it wants. It still has two months to do that. There is nothing I can do. We are not calling the shots. There is a commission to decide and it can call anybody it wants.

As far as personal friends, I never knew many of them before. I had never met these people before they were in these jobs. They were all appointed by the Conservative government.

[Ethical Guidelines, February 5th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, speaking about integrity, what about the Reform Party's question period strategy which I read about in yesterday's Toronto Star , asking negative and accusatory questions, coaching Reform sympathizers to take part in media scrum, causing disturbance in public galleries, disrupting royal assent in other places. What happened to the Reform Party pledge to do politics differently?

I have never seen a party use and abuse an institution to try to move up in the polls. This is something I know will not succeed.

[Ethical Guidelines, February 5th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, it is not a witch hunt. The leader of the third party has been taking lessons from someone so he could act in the House of Commons.

The Minister of National Defence has given until the month of June to finish the inquiry. There were three extensions before. The minister of defence has explained very well the reason why. What is very surprising is that he is just responding to the request of the leader of the third party, urging us to terminate it quickly so that

there will be no inquiry during an election. We are doing exactly what he is asking.

Why would the man who is talking about integrity say that in October and today say exactly the contrary to what he said at that time?

[Ethical Guidelines, February 5th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, we formed a government three years and two months ago. The ministers have shown that the government is a government that is very ethical and respects all the norms. No ministers were involved in any scandals of any nature.

In political debate we may have differences, but to tackle this very negative approach by the Reform Party, as it was published Monday morning in the Toronto Star , that it will be only negative, is a big contrast with the promise he made when he became the leader that he was to have the highest standards in this House.

I know they want to do everything, even have the people in the gallery to protest, people ready to go in the scrum and say they are journalists.

On top of that, I learned this morning that to succeed in that, the leader of the third party is trying to become an actor. He has hired somebody to train him how to look mad when he is not mad.

[Employment Insurance Contributions, February 4th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Human Resources Development has just provided a good description of the current situation. The program we are working on at the moment requires provincial co-operation.

The meeting held last week in Toronto and the one held last month bear witness to a new approach and new co-operation between the federal government and the provinces in helping children in difficulty in our society.

I hope negotiations will continue quickly and that, together with the provinces, we will be able to set up a national program to protect poor children.

[Public Inquiries, February 4th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member referred to my golf buddy. I never played golf with him. Perhaps in the middle of the night in January in Yellowknife I did, but I do not remember.

The Minister of National Defence took this matter seriously. We had this inquiry for two years and the leader of the third party, as the Minister of National Defence yesterday so rightly said, was the one pleading with us to terminate that as quickly as possible so that we will not have anything to hide by the time of the election.

So we are responding. The Minister of National Defence is doing his best to fulfil the request by the leader of the third party but the leader of the third party has again done a flip-flop.

[Airbus, February 3rd, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, it is a very well known practice that when there are criminal investigations the political part of the government is not informed. It has always been that way.

Yesterday it was confirmed in a debate on TV between two of the most respected public servants who have served this country for a long time, Gordon Robertson and Arthur Kroeger. They said that everything was conducted according to tradition. When there is a criminal investigation it is for the police to conduct the investigation and the prime minister and the ministers are not involved in the investigation. This has been a very clear practice for a long time.

I do not believe it is the business of a minister or a prime minister to give instruction to the police to investigate one guy and not investigate another.

[Airbus Affair, February 3rd, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, debate on this topic was closed when we offered our apologies to Mr. Mulroney and the two other people. In Canada, no one is guilty until so declared by a court of law. Apologies were made.

Mr. Mulroney's own lawyers said clearly in their statement that there had been no political interference in this matter.

[Airbus Affair, February 3rd, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, Mrs. Bourgon briefed me fully on this file, as was stated in a document released on November 20, when I was in Asia with the Commonwealth and at the APEC meeting.

Mrs. Bourgon's statement to the press was very clear. And I am completely satisfied with the answer she gave when questioned.

[Government Policies, February 3rd, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I watched the debates. The ministers answered all the questions very well. When the press asked them questions they took full responsibility for their departments. When there was something that needed to be remedied, they moved very quickly.

The leader of the third party accused the government a few months ago of wanting to postpone the inquiry on Somalia until after the election. Now he is complaining because we are assuming responsibility right away. He should make up his mind.