Peter MacKay

[Sponsorship Program, November 14th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, here is another one that hits close to home.

Seats were won by Liberals who received stolen sponsorship money, yet they cannot be touched under election laws because the time to investigate and the time to charge has expired.

The sum of $8,000 in ad scam cash was used to pay campaign expenses of the Prime Minister's principal secretary, Hélène Scherrer. Her reward for being a losing Liberal candidate was that she was entitled to an appointment to one of the highest paid positions in the PMO.

Why is Mme Scherrer still in this position in the Prime Minister's Office? When will the Prime Minister take action to punish those who used dirty money to win elections in Canada?

[Criminal Code, November 4th, 2005]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-438, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (murder of parole officer or firefighter).

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from Fort McMurray for seconding the motion. My colleague from Calgary Centre also vehemently supports this bill.

The bill, if adopted, would amend the Criminal Code. The bill is aimed at basically bringing parity to Criminal Code section 231(4) which I believe is just an oversight. Reference to a parole officer or firefighter has been left out of the listed individuals where a murder occurs and it would be considered first degree murder.

The bill itself is introduced in memory of the horrible murder of Louise Pargeter and out of respect to her parents, Mike and Judy and her partner, Anne Lynagh. The murder occurred in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories when Louise Pargeter was working as a parole officer. In a letter to the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, the family asked that this type of legislation be tabled.

Currently, parole officers and firefighters are not specifically mentioned. The distinction is very important. Police officers, wardens and jail guards are currently listed in the section. It would make perfect sense to include parole officers as well.

An automatic first degree murder charge would create a significant deterrent and would minimize similar offences being committed against parole officers in the future.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

[Sponsorship Program, November 4th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, more nonsense from a founder of the Bloc.

The Liberal Party was found guilty by Judge Gomery of the worst theft of public money in modern Canadian history. Of the 28 lawsuits that the government has launched to recover the dirty ad scam money, there still is not a single one filed against the Liberal Party. It has made a down payment of $1.14 million, a paltry portion of the money that it stole, and less than the ad scammer Paul Coffin paid.

With $40 million still missing, why has a lawsuit not been launched by the government against the Liberal Party of Canada to recover the entire amount it stole from taxpayers?

[Sponsorship Program, November 4th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, I guess we should just take his word for it.

The culture of favouritism of this Liberal government has been demonstrated once again. The Minister of Justice has decided to set the amount his party has to pay back to the taxpayers.

In our justice system, sentences are not set by the guilty party. Justice Gomery has said that the Liberal Party was responsible.

When will proceedings be initiated against the Liberal Party to recover all the money stolen from Canadians?

[Sponsorship Program, November 4th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Minister of Justice said, “The government has made the determination that this is what the party owes”. He feels that the Liberal government and the Liberal Party can agree that $1 million is an appropriate amount of repayment for what Liberals stole from Canadians.

Is the professor of justice now so far up the ivory tower and so far removed from basic tenets of law that he actually thinks the guilty party gets to determine its own sentence and decide what amount of restitution is repaid? When will the Liberal government sue the Liberal Party of Canada and recover the full amount of money that it stole from Canadian taxpayers?

[Sponsorship Program, November 3rd, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, there is nothing more rigorous in defence of a Liberal than a recent convert.

The Prime Minister's pledge that there would be no more “Who do you know in the PMO” was just another phony promise. His democratic deficit has now widened to an integrity deficit. Dingwall broke lobbying rules and awaits his severance entitlement from the Mint. Francis Fox and Art Eggleton got their rewards with Senate appointments because of who they knew in the PMO.

The Prime Minister has not called the RCMP to investigate cases where kickback money was used by Liberals, but clearly, the culture of entitlement has continued.

Will the Prime Minister launch a lawsuit against his own party and--

[Sponsorship Program, November 3rd, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has taken the incredibly harsh step of banning 10 Liberal organizers from the Liberal Party. Ouch, that has got to hurt. Passing out stolen sponsorship money is okay, but it is not fine to use it.

We know from testimony that the illegal kickback cash was used by the campaigns of Hélène Scherrer, now the principal secretary to the Prime Minister, and Yvon Charbonneau, now the ambassador to UNESCO.

Elections were stolen, using dirty money, and the law was broken. Yet, like his mentor, Mr. Chrétien, the Prime Minister rewards Liberal cronies and unethical behaviour. When will this stop?

[Veterans, November 3rd, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, on November 11 Canadians everywhere will attend Remembrance Day services to pay respect and thank our veterans for the enormous sacrifices made in conflicts and peacekeeping missions around the globe.

Last week I had the opportunity to attend such a remembrance service in Tracadie, a community in Central Nova. Later I visited with Reg Connors, a highly decorated veteran who served with the North Nova Scotia Highlanders in the United Kingdom and Germany, and participated in the liberation of Holland. He and so many other proud Nova Scotians gave so much to Canada and the cause of peace through selfless service and sacrifice.

As time marches on and our war veterans grow older, it becomes increasingly important for the public to keep alive the stories and the memories of those like Reg Connors and thousands of Canadian vets who gave so selflessly for the freedoms of things that we enjoy today.

It is critically important as well for the current and future generations to take up the torch and ensure that our veterans and their families are cared for, honoured and respected and that their sacrifice is not forgotten. It is the least we can do.

We keep in our thoughts and prayers the memories of those who continue that proud tradition of military service and we will be forever grateful.

[Sponsorship Program, November 2nd, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, Justice Gomery finds the Liberal Party of Canada guilty. Here are some facts: clear evidence of political involvement; kickbacks and illegal contributions to the Liberal Party of Canada; agencies paying Liberal campaign workers; and a culture of entitlement among Liberal party officials. His report is clear. It is an indictment of criminal activity and wrongdoing.

The Liberal Party, which included the Prime Minister who was supposed to be guarding the public purse, was fully engaged in the Liberal ad scam. Why should Canadians believe that the Liberal Party's culture of corruption has ended if the Prime Minister will not even sue his own party for the money?

[Sponsorship Program, November 2nd, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Public Works said that no dirty money from the sponsorship scandal went into the bank accounts of the federal Liberal Party, not true, of course. Justice Gomery's report found the opposite. Some calculations show that the Liberal Party stole $5.4 million from Canadians, and $45 million is still unaccounted for.

Gomery said that Canadians were rightly outraged. We have known about the sponsorship scandal now for over three years. The Liberal Party set up, operated and benefited from the ad scam, yet not a single Liberal has gone to jail.

When will the Liberal ad scam criminals be held accountable and go to jail?