Paul Calandra

[Ethics, June 10th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, it is up to the Senate. It is its responsibility to respond to the court. We welcome the recommendations of the Auditor General, and we already suggested yesterday in the House that we look forward to the Senate implementing the suggestions of the Auditor General.

However, this member can also help the taxpayers of Canada by repaying the $27,144 she owes the people of her riding as part of the $2.7 million scheme hatched by the Leader of the Opposition to defraud Canadians of the money they sent to this place.

Whether it is a senator or a member of Parliament, they owe them the money. Pay it back.

[Ethics, June 10th, 2015]

That is obviously completely wrong, Mr. Speaker. That is not at all what the Senate has suggested. The Senate welcomes the report of the Auditor General and is looking at implementing the recommendations.

At the same time, what the NDP does not seem to understand is that there is only one taxpayer. When they deliberately abuse their money, Canadians want it back, at the very least. The NDP owes $2.7 million to the people of Canada. The former NDP member for Montcalm owes $22,000. The member for Laval—Les Îles owes $31,874 and is refusing to pay that back. I hope those members will do the right thing and pay it back.

[Ethics, June 10th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, that is not what the senators have suggested. They welcome the Auditor General's report and will look at implementing the recommendations.

The Auditor General found 30 senators with problems. House administration found 68 members of Parliament with problems with their expenses. They all happen to be NDP members of Parliament.

I do not know how that member can sit in the House and claim all kinds of things against senators, when she sits in a caucus of 68 members of Parliament who owe $2.7 million to Canadians, which they refuse to pay back. Her own leader owes $400,000. Help him repay that $400,000.

[The Senate, June 10th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians have waited and waited and waited, and that member comes here with a policy of unelected Liberals nominating unelected Liberal senators. His great policy is to not call them Liberals but to call them Senate Liberals.

On top of his other great economic policy of legalizing marijuana, the great Liberals have come up with great policies: tax Canadians more, take away the universal child care benefit, and increase mandatory pension contributions. Tax more, spend more, change the name of the party; anything to try to get re-elected.

That member is in way over his head. Canadians deserve better.

[The Senate, June 10th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians waited and waited and waited, and the leader of the Liberal Party came forward with his plan. His plan was to not call his senators Liberals any more but to call them Senate Liberals. They have been alleviated of the responsibility of attending the weekly caucus meeting with the Liberals—I know there are a lot of people who would welcome that—but they still call themselves Liberals, they fundraise for the Liberal Party, and they campaign for the Liberal Party.

His idea of reform is to have an unelected group of Liberals appointing an unelected group of Liberal senators. We can do better, and we will.

[The Senate, June 10th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, as members know, we have brought forward a number of recommendations with respect to reforming the Senate. The Supreme Court, in its wisdom, has suggested that unanimity is required from all of the provinces.

The Liberal Party's position on this makes no sense whatsoever. The Liberal leader wants to appoint Liberals who would then appoint non-partisan people to fill the Senate, so it would be unelected Liberals appointing unelected Liberals to sit in the Senate. That is the Liberals' idea of reform. That is not what Canadians want.

We are fighting to bring accountability to the Senate. We have made a lot of progress. We welcome the Auditor General's report.

We will continue to focus on jobs and economic growth.

[Ethics, June 10th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, we trust the work of the Auditor General. He presented a number of recommendations. We hope, and of course insist, that all of the senators follow the process and work with the Auditor General.

Again, the Leader of the Opposition seems to think that Canadians look at things differently when there are 68 members of the NDP caucus who were identified for misusing $2.7 million of taxpayer resources. The Leader of the Opposition himself sits in this place owing the taxpayers $400,000 as part of a $2.7 million scheme that the New Democrats all owe the taxpayers. They should do the right thing and pay it back.

[Ethics, June 10th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, it was the Senate that invited the Auditor General to review its expenses. The Auditor General presented a report yesterday and we expect that all senators will co-operate with that report.

At the same time, we know that there are some 68 members of the NDP caucus who owe taxpayers $2.7 million. For instance, the member for Longueuil—Pierre-Boucher owes $14,911 and is refusing to pay it back. The member for Scarborough Southwest owes $141,000. The member for Parkdale—High Park owes over $1,000. The member for Vaudreuil-Soulanges owes $30,740. The member for Laval owes—

[Ethics, June 10th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, it was the Senate that invited the Auditor General and we welcome the report of the Auditor General.

At the same time, Canadians do not differentiate. When elected officials, or any parliamentarians, have issues with expenses, they expect them to pay them back. That is why the leader of the opposition should pay back the $400,000 that he owes as part of a $2.7 million scheme that he hatched in his office to take money away from ridings and funnel it to a partisan office in Montreal.

The leader of the opposition would be well-advised to take care and watch out for his ever-growing proboscis as he climbs down off of his high horse.

[Ethics, June 10th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, as I said yesterday, it was the Senate that invited the Auditor General to examine senatorial expenses. As we know, the Auditor General has highlighted some 30 senators who have some issues with expenses.

At the same time, the House administration has identified some 68 members of the NDP caucus who have issues with respect to their expenses. The Auditor General identified a little less than $1 million in the Senate.

The House administration has identified that NDP members owe $2.7 million. The leader of the opposition himself owes $400,000. I certainly hope he will do the right thing and repay that money as well.