John Baird

[G8 Summit, September 28th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General presented a report.

The government has fully accepted the advice that she provided on ways we can improve the reporting to Parliament in the years to come. We thank her for her work. We have aired all of the responses to the questions that have been brought up on this issue.

What Canadians expect their members of Parliament to be doing is to be focusing on their priorities: the creation of jobs, economic growth, hope and opportunity. That is what the government is doing, focusing like a laser on the priority of Canadian families, the economy.

[G8 Summit, September 28th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, let me be clear. Not one G8 project involved the construction of a hockey arena in the town of Gravenhurst, not one of the 32 projects. I cannot be any clearer than that. The member opposite has the right to his own opinion, but he certainly does not have the right to create his own facts.

[G8 Summit, September 28th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, the facts on this issue have not changed. This has been thoroughly aired.

I say to my friend opposite that of the 32 projects I approved under this initiative, not one involved an arena in Gravenhurst.

[President of the Treasury Board, September 27th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, this issue has been thoroughly aired. This type of muckraking was rejected by Canadians in the last election campaign.

What Canadians expect of us is to focus on the priorities of Canadian families. That is jobs and the economy. That is providing the important services that the federal government does and that is what this government is going to continue doing.

[President of the Treasury Board, September 27th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, the member was elected first to the House of Commons in 1974. I would have expected better from him and I will not dignify his question with a response.

[G8 Summit, September 27th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, that kind of muckraking is exactly what Canadians rejected at the last election.

What they wanted from their elected representatives was a team of men and women who would fight for jobs, who would fight for more opportunity and more hope, and that is exactly what this government is doing each and every day.

[G8 Summit, September 27th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, the facts have not changed in this regard.

The member opposite talked about a pool. It was there many years before Muskoka was even announced as the G8 centre. He talked about a hockey rink. That was not even paid for by taxpayers, but through the Government of Ontario.

The member opposite has the right to his own opinion. He does not have the right to his own facts.

[G8 Summit, September 27th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General has looked at this issue. She has made some comments on how process improvements could be made. The government has accepted those recommendations.

The good news is that all 32 of these projects are public infrastructure, whether they be in North Bay or in the Muskoka--Georgian Bay area. They all are public assets that will benefit Canadians for many years to come, and a lot of jobs were created. In addition to these projects, there are 23,000 projects right across the country from coast to coast to coast.

[G8 Summit, September 27th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, as has been said in this place many times, the facts have not changed. The issue has been thoroughly aired. The Auditor General has had access to all government information.

It is this kind of muckraking that Canadians rejected in the last election campaign. What they sent all of us here to do is to fight for Canadians, to fight for jobs, to fight for more opportunity, and that is exactly what the government is doing.

[Questions on the Order Paper, September 19th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, in response to (a), the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade regularly receives and produces briefing notes on a variety of topics related to Canada’s international relations. Three briefings notes were prepared in relation to engagement in sub-Saharan Africa.

In response to (b), DFAIT continually reviews policy options in all aspects of Canada’s international relations, and its work in all regions. The Report on Plans and Priorities represents ongoing work in the Department, and while the 2011-2012 document notes that an “engagement strategy with Africa will be developed”, it is not in itself an announcement of a new strategy.

In response to (c), DFAIT continues to work with all countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

In response to (d), any engagement strategy will be realized within existing resources.

In response to (e), over the past two years, the department has continued to review its work in sub-Saharan Africa in light of the continent’s economic and political transformation, characterized by improvements in governance and democracy and economic growth.