Jean Chrétien

[International Aid, May 30th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, for two years we have increased our program by 8% a year and it is going up every year. On top of that increase, we have allocated $500 million for the next three years to be applied specifically, above the previous programs, to new programs for the people of Africa.

[Government Contracts, May 30th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, at the request of the opposition, we have asked a House of Commons official, namely the auditor general, to look into all these issues.

The auditor general will report to us. Those who committed illegal acts, if any, will be prosecuted. This is how we have always proceeded.

If an investigation reveals that individuals have committed criminal offences, they must be tried before the courts. If they received excessive amounts of money, they must give that money back.

[Government Grants, May 30th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, I am listening to these people being sanctimonious.

I have an ad here. The Leader of the Opposition was working for a member of parliament, Jim Hawkes, in the House. A few weeks later he ran against him and the National Citizens Coalition spent $50 million asking the people to defeat Jim Hawkes, the former boss of this person. After that they come to us and talk about integrity?

[Government Grants, May 30th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, when a member of parliament and a cabinet minister receives a request by a citizen of his province to apply for programs that exist in the department under his responsibility, it is his duty to transmit that request to the officials so that the people of his province and his riding will not be penalized because he is serving Canada as a minister.

[Ethics, May 30th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, the brother was the president of a university. The government would never deprive a university or the people of a province because it happens in a family that one brother is the head of a school and the other brother is serving the Canadian people very honourably in the Parliament of Canada.

[Ethics, May 30th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, when a member of parliament is representing institutions of education that give some courses of great quality to make the young people of that province first citizens of Canada with all the abilities to serve their country, these programs apply to P.E.I. just like the $5 million that was given to the University of Calgary, the $10 million that was given to the University of Alberta and the $10 million that was given to the University of Saskatchewan.

[Ethics, May 30th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, I explained very clearly yesterday that a minister has the responsibility to represent his riding and to represent his province.

I understand that the Leader of the Opposition does not like Atlantic Canada very much. His record as the Leader of the Opposition in two weeks is pretty good. He has managed to insult Quebecers on bilingualism and--

[Ethics, May 29th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, a minister replies to questions about his ministry. It is a rule of the House of Commons.

Talking about stonewalling, when will he give us the names of the people who contributed to his campaign? When will he tell us who was funding the National Citizens' Coalition? Attacking every politician, never revealing his salary and never giving the source of the funds, all is completely hidden when it is the case of that party across. It is unbelievable that they have double standards like that.

[Ethics, May 29th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, a minister, a member of the cabinet is a member of parliament and a minister is responsible for his province. He has the duty to pass requests that come into his office to any agency in the government. It is for the agency to say yes or no.

In that case, if there was lobbying, and there was no lobbying, it was a transmission of a request. The request did not receive a favourable answer because the commissioner reported to him, when they discussed it, that the RCMP had decided it did not have the funds to proceed with the request.

[Government Contracts, May 29th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, I said that the auditor general was looking into it.

However, what I have noticed and what I find unfortunate, because people are watching us, is that for 17 days, members of the opposition, who have had the opportunity to ask questions of the government, have not asked about agriculture, softwood lumber, Kyoto or the environment.

The public agrees with what we are doing. So, their only recourse is to try to ruin reputations.