Joe Clark

[Iraq, January 29th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, tomorrow Prime Minister Tony Blair heads back to Camp David to make Britain's case to President Bush on Iraq.

My question is for the Prime Minister. When is he going to Camp David?

[Privilege, January 28th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, this is a very unusual matter and I do not want to breach the privileges of the House, however today is the 98th birthday of the Hon. Ellen Fairclough, who was a distinguished and active member of the House of Commons and holds the honour of being the first woman ever named to the federal cabinet in Canada.

I am sure the House would want to extend their very best wishes and congratulations to the Hon. Ellen Fairclough.

[Iraq, January 28th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is the master of the double standard on everything he does.

I have a question for the minister of defence. The minister of defence has said that Canadian Forces in the Persian Gulf area are ready for military action should the time come. The minister knows the trouble his predecessor got into when the rules of engagement for Canadian troops in Afghanistan were not clear, including the treatment of prisoners of war.

Can the minister inform the House whether new rules of engagement pertaining to military action in Iraq have been issued to Canadian troops now in the area. And, if so, when were those new rules of engagement issued?

[Iraq, January 28th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister says that he will follow established parliamentary procedures on votes about war. On October 19, 1990, the House agreed to a government motion that spelled out:

...the undertaking of the Government to present a further resolution to this House in the event of the outbreak of hostilities involving Canadian Forces in and around the Arabian Peninsula--

As the prospect of hostilities grew, the House was then recalled especially for a further motion and a vote.

Why will the Prime Minister not allow, in this crisis, the kind of vote by Parliament upon which he insisted during the Gulf War?

[Iraq, January 27th, 2003]

Now, Mr. Speaker, this is the question for today.

Why does the Prime Minister insist on concealing his intentions on the issue of a war in Iraq? Will the Prime Minister commit today to saying no to war without the support of the United Nations, yes, or no?

[Iraq, January 27th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, the foreign minister has said that Canada will “support the United Nations system as much as we possibly can”. Shades of Mackenzie King: The United Nations if necessary, but not necessarily the United Nations.

Will the Prime Minister show Canada's unconditional support for the United Nations by making it crystal clear that Canada will not go to war without the approval of the UN Security Council?

[Leader of the New Democratic Party, January 27th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of my hon. colleagues in the Progressive Conservative caucus, I want to welcome the new leader of the New Democratic Party, Mr. Layton, to federal politics.

He of course started his political life in the Progressive Conservative family, as did the leader of the Canadian Alliance, most of the members of the Bloc Québécois, too many stray members of the Liberal Party to mention, and Mr. Layton's distinguished competitor, the member for Winnipeg--Transcona.

As a parliamentarian who also knows the rigours of party elections, let me also commend the contribution to Canada of the member for Winnipeg--Transcona, for whom the immense respect of the House is undiminished.

I want also to congratulate the member for Regina--Qu'Appelle and the member for Windsor--St. Clair.

Jack Layton brings an image of energy and imagination to Canadian public life. He has had entrusted to him the stewardship of a political party which has helped shape and define the Canadian community. He made his mark in municipal politics, which is not always the same as the federal arena. When he needs help in learning how to adapt, my large caucus is full of people who have experience in that transition.

As others in the House will attest, Jack Layton's easiest days as leader of his party are behind him. We look forward to seeing him when he gets here, if he gets here, and we wish him success but not too much success.

[Privilege, December 12th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, I thank you for your patience. I am really rising to reserve a right to raise a potential question relative to a matter that flowed out of question period today.

The Minister of Justice indicated again in question period today with respect to the $72 million, which expenditure that had been denied by Parliament, that he had found other sources in the department but that the taking of that $72 million from the Department of Justice would have no impact on that department's other operations.

We are all familiar with the practice of exercising recourse to Treasury Board for money taken from a contingency fund that would subsequently be authorized at a later date and later paid back.

I think what we may have here is either an action being taken by the government that is exactly contrary to a decision of Parliament to deny the spending of that $72 million or we have an action whereby the government is using funds for reasons other than the reasons for which those funds were appropriated by Parliament.

My colleague from South Shore and I are looking into the circumstances of this case, but I wanted to take the first opportunity available to me to reserve my right to raise a question of privilege on a later occasion.

[Firearms Registry, December 12th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, the obligation is to hold accountable the minister who let $700 million and counting of Government of Canada money be wasted. This is not something the Deputy Prime Minister can shift off to officials. If responsible government means anything, it means that a minister has to carry the can.

Is it the policy of the government that no minister was awake, no minister was watching, no minister was responsible for this terrible and unacceptable waste?

[Firearms Registry, December 12th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister now admits that he was both aware of and complicit in the cover-up of the gun registry costs that are climbing to $1 billion.

Canada has a system of responsible government. That means that when something goes seriously wrong, a minister or the Prime Minister must have the courage and the honesty to accept that responsibility.

Will the Deputy Prime Minister tell us, does the Prime Minister intend to hold any minister responsible for this $700 million mistake?