Paul Calandra

[Ethics, June 9th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, Senator Housakos was a bi-partisan appointment on the recommendation of the leader of the Liberals and the leader of the government in the Senate. At the same time, what this report identifies and what all of us should understand is that there is only one taxpayer. There is only one taxpayer and whether it is a senator or it is a member of Parliament, when people deliberately mislead the Canadian people, when they owe them money, they should pay it back.

Now we understand there are some senators who owe some funds, but there are also 68 members of the NDP caucus. I hope they will reflect on this and pay the money back.

[Ethics, June 9th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, we learned last night that it was a priority of the NDP to hold a constitutional conference to open up the Constitution and to hold a referendum with respect to the next steps on the Senate. That is not something we will do. We will continue to focus on jobs and economic growth because that is the priority of Canadians.

At the same time, what is very clear is that the NDP owes $2.7 million. There is only one taxpayer and whether it is a senator or whether it is a member of Parliament, there are 68 members of the NDP caucus who owe $2.7 million. I believe that is three times as much as the Auditor General identified in the Senate report. I hope the New Democrats will pay it back.

[Ethics, June 9th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, again as I just said, it was the Senate that invited in the Auditor General to examine its expenses. I understand that the Auditor General has put in place a number of recommendations and we hope the Senate will follow those recommendations.

At the same time, what is highlighted is that when people deliberately abuse taxpayer resources, Canadians have a right to expect that money to be repaid and if individuals have done it deliberately, they face the full extent of the law.

I certainly hope the NDP members will reflect on that. I know they owe $2.7 million. I hope they will reflect on that and will consider repaying the taxpayers the $2.7 million that they owe them.

[Ethics, June 9th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, it was the Senate that actually invited the Auditor General in to examine its expenses. We understand that the report has been tabled and been made public. We expect the Senate to implement the recommendations.

[Main Estimates 2015-16, June 8th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, it is really odd to hear this member talk about taking money out of the pockets of Canadians, when she owes the people of La Pointe-de-l'Île $27,711. Those were monies meant for her constituents that were taken away and funnelled to an illegal partisan office in Montreal.

Again I will ask, for maybe the tenth time tonight, and perhaps one member of the NDP can give this answer to Canadians. After you have finished consulting Canadians, if you are given the honour of serving Canadians in government, what specific legislative steps will you take to abolish the Senate? If a referendum is one of them and it fails, what steps will you then take to abolish the Senate?

[Main Estimates 2015-16, June 8th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, the member talked about what first graders or young people would know. I want to let her know that I suspect most Canadians would know that when New Democrats are asked where an office is and they say Ottawa, it would not be appropriate to then funnel money to Montreal to support an illegal partisan office, like the NDP did, to the tune of $2.7 million. I suspect most Canadians would get that, but apparently not the members opposite.

The member referenced the fact that the leader of her party is a lawyer. I suggest that he probably, being from Montreal, knows the difference between Montreal and Ottawa, and that it would be inappropriate to funnel money to that office.

The member talked about having the support of Canadians to abolish the Senate, that members of her caucus have consulted with Canadians and this is the path forward. Every single member has been asked by me and a Liberal member of Parliament what the NDP process would be to abolish the Senate.

I am asking very clearly again. If you cannot get the support of the provinces for your referendum and the Canadian people turn their backs, what is the next step to abolishing the Senate?

[Main Estimates 2015-16, June 8th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the New Democrats are very touchy over the fact that they owe $2.7 million to the Canadian taxpayers and are refusing to pay it back.

However, my specific question for the member is this. The New Democrats have proposed a constitutional conference and opening up the Constitution. They proposed a referendum. If their referendum on the constitutional amendments, which is a priority of the NDP, fails, what are the New Democrats' next steps to abolishing the Senate?

[Main Estimates 2015-16, June 8th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the comments from the hon. member. Canadians, or at least her constituents, would feel a lot better about her remarks if she took the opportunity to repay them the $169,171 she owes them for her support of an illegal partisan office in Montreal.

I wonder if she could help me understand, because the member for Timmins—James Bay and every single speaker from the NDP has refused to answer a very simple question that has been brought forward by me and the leader of the Liberal Party. That question is, with respect to the abolition of the Senate, and I will get a little bit more specific—

[Main Estimates 2015-16, June 8th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, I hope the member opposite has the same motivation in cutting off spending for the Senate when 68 of his colleagues owe over $2.7 million to Canadian taxpayers. I certainly hope they will show the same type of motivation to cut off the spending of those 68 members.

We have heard the member for Winnipeg North and a number of members of his caucus talk about the abolition of the Senate. We know that it requires the unanimous support of the provinces and territories. We also heard talk of a referendum.

I know it has become a priority of the NDP to abolish the Senate. If the NDP is fortunate enough to get the confidence of the Canadian people, when will it call a referendum, what process will it use to bring about a constitutional amendment, and if that amendment is turned down by both the Canadian people and the provinces, what next step will it take to try to abolish the Senate?

[Main Estimates 2015-16, June 8th, 2015]

I would be delighted to table for the House and to read specifically when the member suggested that those funds would be sent to an Ottawa office and to provide the supporting documents that show it was sent to an illegal partisan office in Montreal. If that is the member's desire, I could certainly do that with the—