House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2000, with 54% of the vote.
Crtc October 27th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, the ethics counsellor has informed me that he is satisfied with the conclusion I have come to at this time. I do not know what else is needed at this time. He has reported to me, as it is his responsibility, and I have reported that to the House of Commons.
Crtc October 27th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, I have clearly explained what happened many times to the House. I came to the conclusion that the minister sent a letter as a member of Parliament. When it was interpreted by some people to be a recommendation, he explained clearly to all concerned that was not his intention. He corrected himself
without any pressure from anybody when he realized that his letter had caused some confusion.
Communications Security Establishment October 27th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, we are looking into this situation now. It is something that has come up recently. The minister said that it was possible, but people must also understand that this kind of activity concerns what goes on outside our country, and helps to ensure that terrorist acts do not occur in our society; various governments throughout the world exchange information so that all societies in the world can protect one another.
I think that we must do so in a reasonable manner, in co-operation with the other levels of government. If there were a way to find an acceptable control mechanism, I would really like to do so. For now, I do not have the solution, but if I can find it, I will be pleased to submit it to the House of Commons.
Communications Security Establishment October 27th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of National Defence is answerable to the House for such questions.
Earlier, I answered the question of whether Canadian citizens are subject to illegal espionage. The Privacy Commissioner is investigating. A report a few years ago said that they were not. I hope that the same positive report will come out of this investigation. As for the structure of this commission, it answers to the House through the Minister of National Defence, who must defend his budget estimates before the House of Commons.
Communications Security Establishment October 27th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, if the name appears in the telephone directory, it is not hard for Canadians to find out who he is, it is no secret.
Communications Security Establishment October 27th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, the Privacy Commissioner conducted an investigation to determine if there had been any wrongdoing and he reported to the government that nothing wrong was done. The commissioner is still investigating the matter. He has a duty to tell us if this organization illegally monitored the conversations of Canadian citizens or spied on them.
As far as I know, it was not done and I say to the House that I do not want this to be done because we do not need this in a democratic society.
The commissioner will submit his report. I did not appoint him; he has been in that job for a very long time. I think that he is a competent man, and I am sure that if there has been abuse in this area, he will notify me and I will act accordingly. So far, I have seen no evidence that anyone was spied on illegally in Canada, at least since I have been Prime Minister.
Crtc October 27th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, I take full responsibility for this decision. Never did I attempt to evade my responsibilities in making this decision. In response to a question, I said that I could have not requested any advice, but chose to do so and was told that, under the circumstances, it was totally acceptable, and I take full responsibility for that.
Again, I find it somewhat surprising to hear the Bloc Quebecois come here and talk about integrity when employees are blackmailed by its parent organization to retain their jobs. What is going on in Quebec City is a disgrace. It is embarrassing!
Crtc October 27th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, I said that I had consulted the government's ethics counsellor who told me that the minister had been careless but had taken corrective action himself as soon as he realized that sending the letter was being construed as interference. It was put in very clear terms. Under the circumstances, I accepted this piece of advice as well as the explanation provided by the minister. I believe that he has done his job as a member of Parliament.
Some people say that MPs who do not do their job as MPs should be relieved of their duties. I find it somewhat surprising that a member who insists that MPs should do their job would expect MPs who are ministers as well not to do their job as MPs.
Crtc October 27th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, I said earlier that I would look into the matter very carefully. I have consulted those who have responsibility in the matter.
The minister made an honest error. He corrected it immediately without any pressure. It is one of those things. Every member of the cabinet is confronted with the same problem. Some constituents write to me about problems in every department and I have a responsibility over every department. I send requests to ministers and ask that they be looked into. It is part of my job as the member of Parliament for Saint-Maurice.
In this case, I concluded after consultation, as explained to the House, that there was no need for a resignation.
Crtc October 27th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, perhaps the minister should have used the letterhead he keeps for his correspondence as the member for Laval West, just as I could use a letterhead identifying myself as the member for Saint-Maurice. But everyone knows very well that Jean Chrétien is the Prime Minister, and if I used a different letterhead, people would perhaps find it a bit ridiculous.
I did indeed read the original letter and the letter of explanation. It was an honest mistake on the part of the minister and he took corrective action himself without any pressure from anyone. Under the circumstances, I think that it is my responsibility to declare the matter closed at this point.
I consulted the government's ethics counsellor and one I appointed myself, and both confirmed that I had made the right decision in this matter.