Jean Chrétien

[Burundi, March 28th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I think it is unconscionable that when I ask a member who is a parliamentary secretary, who has more experience in this House than the Leader of the Opposition and is very well informed-

[Pearson International Airport, March 27th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, we never talked about it and he did not give me a damn cent. Therefore there is absolutely no conflict of interest.

[Pearson International Airport, March 27th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, as I said in French, I never gave advice about the privatization of the Toronto airport to anybody involved. The allegation is absolutely false.

[Pearson Airport, March 27th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, again, I never solicited funds and Mr. Matthews himself says he did not contribute a penny to the Jean Chrétien leadership campaign.

[Pearson Airport, March 27th, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I think it is clear: the answer is no. I even took the time to check with the lawyer who represented the Matthews Group in the office. I spoke with him and he confirmed that the Toronto airport was not discussed at all. At that time, I was not aware of the privatization plan.

[Fisheries, March 22nd, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I did not read from the communication. I said he expressed the view, as he did on the telephone, that we should reach a settlement very rapidly. He is giving instructions to his negotiator to do that very rapidly. I have given the same instructions to my negotiator. I hope we will find a solution very quickly.

[Ethics, March 22nd, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, there have been court rulings on this and I must add that the Quebec referendum is not a partisan issue, but an opportunity for every Quebec citizen to say whether or not he or she wants to remain in Canada. This is not necessarily a matter involving work for or against a political party.

I know full well that many people in the National Capital Region realize that separation would be disastrous for those who live on the Quebec side of this region, and I think that any citizen has the right to express an opinion on the future of his country without engaging in political partisanship.

[Ethics, March 22nd, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, that question was answered yesterday. I am pleased to see that Mr. Wilson's opinion coincides with what we said in this House.

[The Senate, March 22nd, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, it is a case where Reform Party members have thrown the baby out with the bath water. They did not realize what they were doing. They in effect blocked elections to the Senate. That is all. That is reality.

Now my prerogative is to name senators. It is a prerogative that I use and I name very good senators. The citizens who are selected always appreciate it very much. I remember very well the former Senator Manning.

[The Senate, March 22nd, 1995]

Mr. Speaker, I was totally in favour of having elections to the Senate and the Reform Party opposed it when it voted against the Charlottetown accord.

We are naming senators in the other house to represent the party that forms the government. We are in a situation at this time where we have had a bill before the Senate for eight

months. It is being blocked by a party that received only 3 per cent support in the latest byelections.

I need some Liberal senators who will have more sense than the ones who are blocking legislation that is very important and in the interest of taxpayers so that we will not give more money to the people who made a deal-