Jean Chrétien

[Crtc, October 27th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I think that the hon. member should read the letter that the minister sent. When he heard that his action was being interpreted as bringing pressure to bear, he made it clear to the CRTC that he had not intended to support or oppose the application, but that he had merely referred it, as a member of Parliament, to the Commission.

[Crtc, October 27th, 1994]

No, he did it. When he realized that it was interpreted as trying to apply pressure he clarified it on his own without pressure from anybody from anywhere. He said to the commission: "Do not interpret that as wanting to support or oppose this application" and that he was just asking them to look at the application and render the judgment that they have to render under the law.

[Crtc, October 27th, 1994]

According to the House of Commons circumstances the minister has explained what he has done. I said that he made an honest error in sending-

[Crtc, October 27th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I explained that every cabinet minister is a member of Parliament. When you are in your riding on Saturday, Sunday or Monday receiving your constituents you have to receive them. In this case, this person asked his member of Parliament if he would make sure that his application would be considered, and he just asked the CRTC to do exactly what is their duty to do. He did not put apply pressure. He just asked them to consider this application, as it was his duty to ask as a member of Parliament.

[Crtc, October 27th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, it is very simple. A minister should not interfere or put pressure on anybody like the CRTC. He can, and it is his duty, as you would do for your constituents-

[Crtc, October 27th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I reviewed the issue, I consulted experts in my office and in the government, and I have come to the conclusion that, under the circumstances, the hon. member can remain Minister of Canadian Heritage and keep serving Canadians.

[Crtc, October 27th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, the minister's letter is very clear. It says:

"I would be most grateful if you could give this application due consideration". Yes, due consideration. You are right.

You give this application due consideration and make a decision.

Later, when told that his action had been interpreted as interfering with due process, the minister said:

It is not intended to convince support for or opposition to the application.

So, it is very clear in my mind that the minister acted the way a member of Parliament should, in that he tried to represent the interests of one of his constituents whom he had never met before.

I represent the riding of Saint-Maurice; I was a minister for 18 years and I have now been Prime Minister for one year. Every time my constituents, who have been voting for me for 25 years, have problems, I always give them due consideration.

[Crtc, October 27th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I have acted responsibly. I have eighteen years experience as a minister, and I have seen other complex situations. As for this one, I think the minister made it clear that he had made an honest mistake and corrected it in short order.

I am surprised to see the Leader of the Opposition in such a furor, when his head office in Quebec summons its bureaucrats and tells them to knuckle under and change their political views if they want to keep their jobs.

[Crtc, October 27th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I could not agree more, and if the minister acted as the member for Laval when he asked the commission to do its job, it was not undue pressure. The minister himself said in the House this morning that perhaps he should have acted differently. Everyone makes honest mistakes, and he corrected his mistake as soon as possible.

In the circumstances, after checking with my advisers, I concluded there was nothing here to justify changing the membership of my cabinet.

[Crtc, October 27th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I discussed the incident with the minister who, like all members of this House, is the member of Parliament for his riding. All members must be available to their constituents and try to provide the services expected of a member.

In this particular case, all the minister did was bring this application to the attention of the chairman of the CRTC, with the comment: "This application should receive due consideration. To me, this means: Could you take care of this dossier, and if there are any problems, if I can be of any assistance as the member for Laval, fine.

Subsequently, when his letter was interpreted as a letter of support, as soon as the minister heard about this, without any pressure from anyone, he immediately wrote to this person, and a copy was sent to the commission to make it clear he had not supported the application in any way. He had simply asked the commission to do its job.

This is always a problem for ministers. The Hon. Leader of the Opposition must have had that experience himself. A minister is also a member of Parliament, and we have a duty to represent our constituents without influencing bodies like the CRTC.