John Baird

[Treasury Board, June 9th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, so much for the civility that the Leader of the Opposition promised Canadians.

At the outset, I want to thank the outgoing Auditor General, Sheila Fraser, not just for this audit but for her outstanding years of public service to Canadians.

I completely reject the premise of the question by the member opposite. The decisions for the funding of these 32 public infrastructure projects were made by me in my time as minister of infrastructure, not by the current president of the Treasury Board.

[Special Economic Measures Act, June 6th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to section 7 of the Special Economic Measures Act, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, copies of the special economic measures, Syria regulations and the special economic Syria permit authorization order formally announced on May 24, 2011 by the Prime Minister.

[Afghanistan, June 6th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to tell the House that the Prime Minister has always told the truth on this issue.

I believe the member for St. John's East is talking about leaks that are not of Canadian origin and the government has a policy not to comment on such leaks.

[Libya, June 6th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, in Canada we recognize states, not particular governments.

We do look forward to working with the council throughout the Canadian mission in Libya. It has a very important role to play in the future of Libya.

The G8 leaders at their summit in Deauville did say at a political level that Colonel Gadhafi must go. That is an important political objective. We can work closely with the transitional council on this important objective.

[Libya, June 6th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate the member for Beauséjour on his re-election and on his appointment as foreign affairs critic. I look forward to working with him on advancing the principles of Canadian foreign policy that express Canadian values right around the world.

There is no change in the military mission. The military mission was approved by the United Nations through resolutions 1970 and 1973 to protect the civilian population from attacks by Gadhafi's forces.

I look forward to debating an extension of that mission with the member and all members of the House in short order.

[Libya, June 6th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, I can report, obviously, that Canada remains incredibly supportive of the change that we have seen going on in both Tunisia and Egypt. We have come forward with funds to support some initiatives with respect to young people in Egypt.

When the Prime Minister attended the G8 in France, he was certainly underlining the support that we are giving to Libya, both militarily and in humanitarian assistance. We are engaged.

We are providing a lot of funding, more than a quarter of a million dollars in recent years, to the multilateral bodies that should provide this direct support. We obviously are watching what is going on with great interest and will continue to see what more can be done.

[Libya, June 6th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, I am equally concerned as the member for Laurier—Sainte-Marie about the huge number of verified allegations with respect to sexual violence being used as a tool of war. I can report to the member opposite that I have had good discussions with her foreign affairs critic on this issue.

This morning I had a specific briefing on what we might do in Canada to tackle this issue, whether it is working with the International Criminal Court or providing tangible assistance either on the social services side or on the prosecution and policing side on this important issue. I would be very pleased to work with the member opposite on something that really should be a uniting force among all of us in the House, something that is reprehensible—

[International Co-operation, June 6th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, at the outset of my time in the House, let me thank the electors of Ottawa West—Nepean and congratulate my friend, the new Leader of the Opposition, on an impressive result at election time. Let me tell him that our government and I are committed to working with him on this and other important issues.

I can correct the correct the record and tell the Leader of the Opposition that over the past few years, we have put more than a quarter of a billion dollars of new funding to support efforts that will be of direct benefit to the people of Egypt and Tunisia. Obviously, we are making an unprecedented commitment in Libya, and I look forward to working with the Leader of the Opposition and his team on this important issue.

[Questions on the Order Paper, March 25th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, with regard to funds spent by Elections Canada, here are the responses.

With regard to part (a), during the period April 1, 2005 to January 31, 2011, Elections Canada spent approximately $3,028,486 on legal counsel and legal advice.

Of this amount, the office of the Commissioner of Canada Elections spent approximately $1,618,999 on legal counsel and legal advice for the enforcement of the Canada Elections Act, and approximately $1,409,487 was spent on legal counsel and legal advice for purposes other than enforcement of the Canada Elections Act.

Expenses incurred for legal services are of two general types: advisory services and litigation. Advisory services may include expenses related to opinions on specific subjects, review of documents or contracts, as well as the services of the broadcasting arbitrator.

Litigation services cover the gamut of cases in which the office of the Chief Electoral Officer may be involved, from electors who sue Elections Canada because they slipped while getting to the polling site to human rights cases, as well as others related to the interpretation of the Canada Elections Act.

With regard to part (b), of the amount shown in (a), approximately $1,255,561 was spent to address issues with regard to the Conservative Party of Canada.

With regard to part (c), there are currently 10 legal proceedings in which the office of the Chief Electoral Officer is involved in civil courts. This excludes routine applications to the courts for extensions of time to file returns. Note that an application has recently been filed in the Quebec Superior Court to join four of these legal proceedings in one. Should this application be successful, the number of civil proceedings will be reduced to seven.

One prosecution is ongoing at this time.

[Speaker of the House of Commons, March 25th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, I am very privileged to rise today to pay tribute to a great Canadian, someone who will not be seeking re-election to this place after serving 23 years as the member of Parliament for Kingston and the Islands. I am, of course, talking about you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker and I have known each other since I was 19 years old when I was a young Queen's University student. Our first encounter was rather interesting and I think he knows what I am talking about. I was protesting the Speaker when he was running against the Honourable Flora Isabel MacDonald. All judicial matters were cleared up a few months after that first encounter.

Mr. Speaker, for four terms as the Speaker, you have conducted yourself with great integrity, with great professionalism. You are thoughtful. You are intelligent. You have enjoyed the confidence of this House each and every sitting day of those four terms. That is a remarkable accomplishment.

You are aware that you have been elected by majority Liberal governments, by minority Liberal governments, and by minority Conservative governments. I think it speaks to the number of friends and the high esteem in which you are held by each and every member of this place.

After becoming government House leader, I had an opportunity to visit the Palace of Westminster, the mother of all parliaments. The Speaker of the House of Commons there said that he and Speakers in the Commonwealth around the world looked to you as their leader and their inspiration as someone who has conducted himself very professionally. For a Canadian to hear that from a British Speaker is a pretty remarkable conclusion and assessment of your role as Speaker.

Not only are you the longest serving Speaker in Canadian history, you have also been elected, so others who have served at great length did not have that distinction. Indeed, Mr. Speaker, you will go down in history as one of the best Speakers, if not the best Speaker, that the House of Commons has ever had.

On behalf of the Prime Minister, on behalf of the government caucus, on behalf of the people of Canada, and I think especially on behalf of the people of Kingston and the Islands, we want to thank you for your remarkable contribution to Parliament and your remarkable public service to this great country. We want to wish you well.