Paul Martin

[Sponsorship Program, May 19th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, the reason the Bloc leader wants an election is very clear. He is afraid of Justice Gomery's findings. He knows very well that, when the Gomery report is released, he will no longer be able to make the sort of far-fetched allegations he has just been making.

[Sponsorship Program, May 19th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, if there is one reason why we need to wait for Justice Gomery's report, it is because he is the one who will provide the answers and we will not need to put up with far-fetched allegations like that one.

I repeat, if any money was received inappropriately, all of it, without exception, will be paid back by the Liberal Party.

[Sponsorship Program, May 19th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition's question is not valid. I have said this many times and I will say it again. If the Liberal Party received the money inappropriately, it will be repaid. It cannot be clearer. I said it last week, the week before that and the week before that, and I will continue to say it.

[Sponsorship Program, May 19th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, there is no need for the government to make such a requirement, given the fact that the Prime Minister, who is also the leader of the party, has said unequivocally it will return every single penny. It wants no part of any money inappropriately received.

[Veterans Affairs, May 11th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, we most certainly want it to pass, and to pass as quickly as possible. However, I have a question for the leader of the Bloc. If he wants it to pass today, why did he try to bring down the government yesterday?

[Veterans Affairs, May 11th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, there was an agreement among the four leaders, and no one has claimed credit for it. However, if credit is to go to anyone, I say it should go to the Minister of Veterans Affairs, who reached the agreement and worked so long for it. I would like therefore to congratulate her.

[Veterans Affairs, May 11th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, the leader of the NDP is absolutely right. The four leaders got together on the plane on the way back from the Netherlands and we agreed that we wanted to see the veterans charter passed and passed immediately.

What has now happened is that the Leader of the Opposition and the leader of the Bloc have broken faith with the veterans because what they are saying is that we should have a vote of confidence. They were hoping to see the government defeated. If the government were defeated, the veterans charter would not pass in the Senate.

[The Budget, May 11th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member must be aware that there is an election in British Columbia. Out of respect for the people of that province, I believe we need to wait. What is more, it is the centenary of Alberta and Saskatchewan, and again I feel we have a duty to respect the people of those two provinces.

Let's face it: the member is in such a rush to get back to Quebec that it is affecting his judgment.

[Government of Canada, May 11th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, what we are proposing is a vote on the budget, an important matter. If the opposition wants to defeat the government over the budget, it will have to admit to being opposed to Kyoto, to child care, to the cities and communities, and to a balanced budget. So let it do so, instead of using other excuses.

[Government of Canada, May 11th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, since we are quoting experts here, perhaps I also could quote the chairman of the public accounts committee on these issues. What he said is that there is no use going to the polls with rumours and innuendoes. There are all kinds of rumours and innuendoes flying around about what is being said at Gomery. Why do we not wait until we get all the facts about what has been said at the Gomery commission before we think about an election? Now there is an expert.