Mr. Speaker, the Conservative government still has not committed to releasing all the documents concerning the agreement between Nigel Wright and Mike Duffy.
Will it now commit to releasing these documents?
House of Commons photoLost her last election, in 2015, with 16% of the vote.
Ethics June 3rd, 2013
Mr. Speaker, the Conservative government still has not committed to releasing all the documents concerning the agreement between Nigel Wright and Mike Duffy.
Will it now commit to releasing these documents?
Ethics June 3rd, 2013
Mr. Speaker, let us try to go beyond the Conservatives' lip service.
Aside from the Prime Minister's former chief of staff, who else at the PMO was aware of the discussions between Nigel Wright and Mike Duffy? Who?
Expansion and Conservation of Canada's National Parks Act May 31st, 2013
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for his speech. In fact, I agree with a lot of what he said. Sable Island is a magnificent place that must be preserved and given national park designation. We agree on that.
The thing I am not so sure I understood from my colleague's speech is that he seems to fully support the bill. I wonder whether he thinks there is cause to propose some amendments to this bill.
I could add a second part to my question. I wonder about the expression “low-impact development”. I am not sure if my colleague knows exactly what is meant by “low-impact”, what that implies and what this protects us from.
I think that if we do not fully understand this expression, then we cannot really fully support this bill. Can the hon. member tell me what he thinks about that?
Ethics May 31st, 2013
Mr. Speaker, my question could not have been more straightforward. The answer, however, was not so straightforward. Perhaps the Conservatives do not want to answer, perhaps they cannot answer, or perhaps they did not understand the question. I will make it even easier.
Was this payment to Mike Duffy legal, yes or no?
Ethics May 31st, 2013
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives keep saying that Nigel Wright's payment to Mike Duffy is above board because, when he was working for the Prime Minister and his salary came out of the taxpayers' pockets, Mr. Wright gave a personal gift to pay off Mr. Duffy's fraud.
Do the Conservatives think that this payment to Mike Duffy was legal?
Prime Minister of Canada May 30th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the leader of the NDP asked the Prime Minister the following question: “...in a typical day, how many times does the Prime Minister speak with his chief of staff?” The question was simple. The Prime Minister could have said two times, three times, five times or 10 times, but no. The Prime Minister said, and I quote, “Mr. Speaker, I do not understand the question.”
When a prime minister does not understand such a simple question—how many times did he meet with his chief of staff over the course of a day—we are in trouble. He is supposed to be running this country.
Canadians deserve better. They deserve a prime minister who is on top of things, a prime minister who knows what is going on in his own office, a prime minister who understands a simple question about how many times he met with his chief of staff.
Unfortunately, Canadians will have to wait, but in 2015 we will be there to put an end to this nonsense.
The Canadian Museum of History Act May 28th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, I would like to point out that it was the Minister of Canadian Heritage's idea to change the museum's name and redefine its mandate. He said so himself.
The Canadian Association of University Teachers had this to say:
We call on the federal Department of Canadian Heritage to stop its process of redesigning that museum until a panel of distinguished figures in historical and museum work is created and has an opportunity to prepare recommendations...
I would like to hear my colleague's opinion. Brilliant though he may be, is the minister a history or museum expert? I doubt it.
It is a typical Conservative move to make an announcement and then launch consultations to see how refining the proposal can score them some political points. It is completely unacceptable that experts in the field were not consulted.
Does my colleague agree?
Ethics May 28th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives' official story is that nobody knows what happened. However, saying that the Prime Minister did not talk to his chief of staff before his chief of staff wrote a big cheque for a senator in trouble is about as credible as saying that the Prime Minister did not speak to his finance minister before the finance minister tabled a budget. It does not make any sense.
Now that the Prime Minister is here with us, could he make a bit of an effort to try to remember whether or not he asked Nigel Wright to make the embarrassing problem that is the Senate go away?
Ethics May 27th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, it is not up to the minister to tell me what my question is about.
My question is about this cover-up operation by the Prime Minister's Office, which does not release the Prime Minister's Office from its duty to uphold its ethical and legal responsibilities in the Wright-Duffy affair. That is the subject of my question.
Section 16 of the Parliament of Canada Act clearly stipulates that no member of the Senate shall receive any compensation for services rendered before the Senate or the House.
Does the Prime Minister know about this section? Does he know that the Criminal Code prohibits monetary donations to a public office holder?
Ethics May 27th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, I understand why the minister is trying to change the subject; it cannot be easy to face such an ethical scandal in his own party. I would not want to be in his shoes. However, in this case, many unanswered questions remain.
What if there is no note, no directive? What good is the Prime Minister if he cannot manage anything in his own office?
The Conservatives are telling us that there is no legal document for the agreement between Duffy and Wright. Fine. Is there a non-legal document regarding the $90,000 payment that Nigel Wright made to Mike Duffy?