John Baird

[Ethics, June 3rd, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, any campaigning done on behalf of the Conservative Party has been paid for out of Conservative Party funds. That is something that was the case in the 2006, 2008 and 2011 elections.

The leader of the NDP still has not come clean with Canadians. Why did it take him 17 long years before he went public with the bribe he was offered in 1994?

[Ethics, June 3rd, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, it was very clear. The Prime Minister only learned on Wednesday, May 15, that a cheque had been made by Mr. Wright. Mr. Wright has taken sole responsibility. He offered his resignation, and it was immediately accepted.

What we would like is to see the leader of the NDP come clean. Why did he take 17 long years before telling the police that he had been offered a bribe by the former mayor of Laval? He should stand in his place and give Canadians a real answer.

[Ethics, June 3rd, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has always been very clear. Members of Parliaments and senators should only make expense claims they are entitled to make, and if anyone expensed things that should not have been, they should immediately refund the money.

That is exactly the fact. That is exactly what he has done.

[Government Accountability, May 31st, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, on a point of order, I have to rise and respond to the member for Saanich—Gulf Islands who made comments with respect to young boys in short pants. We have a lot of young talented women also working in the Prime Minister's Office. I would ask her to withdraw her sexist comments.

[Foreign Affairs, May 31st, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, Canada already has some of the highest global standards for the export and control of munitions. We believe that any treaty regarding the sale of munitions helps move the international community closer to a world with leading standards. That is why we joined 154 countries in voting in favour of the resolution.

We have always been very clear, though, on two points. We do not want to detract from legitimate sportspeople and the legitimate civilian use of firearms. We do not want to detract from the cultural practices of hunting and fishing in the country. That is why we will review the treaty closely and consult with Canadians, as we always do before we act.

[Foreign Affairs, May 31st, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member. He has been a leading advocate for the freedom of the Iranian people, and his work on the human rights committee is to be commended.

Just two days ago, we strengthened our actions against Iran by adding another 30 people and 82 entities to our sanction list. We have never had any confidence that the regime will act in good faith when it comes to the people of Iran.

On May 10, I took part in the Global Dialogue on the Future of Iran. It was an opportunity to speak to those behind the regime's firewalls. To date, I am pleased to say that more than 360,000 users inside Iran have accessed content from the event we hosted at the Munk School at the University of Toronto. We stand with the courageous activists who are working for freedom in Iran.

[International Co-operation, May 31st, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, about eight weeks ago, I travelled to Ramallah and met with President Abbas and Prime Minister Fayyad. I met with my counterpart, Mr. al-Malki, the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

I am pleased to tell the member opposite that our aid for the Palestinian authority has not lapsed. In fact, there have been some construction delays, issues that are no fault of Canada, or frankly, of the Palestinian Authority. Aid has been extended to complete the commitments we have made. It was $300 million over five years, and we will take the sixth year to get the job done.

I did consult about what their priorities are. They identified economic development, health, education and security. We are currently reviewing what we heard in Ramallah.

[International Co-operation, May 31st, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the thoughtful question by my counterpart from the New Democratic Party.

Indeed, we have identified a number of candidates to put forward for nomination to serve on the board of the IDRC. I think she will be very pleased with all of them, as she should be with all the appointments this government makes.

[Ethics, May 22nd, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I think the Prime Minister spoke to that issue at a press conference with journalists earlier today.

[Ethics, May 22nd, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I have been very clear. No one in this government is aware of any legal document with respect to this payment.