House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2011, with 57% of the vote.
Human Resources Development March 1st, 2000
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Prime Minister informed the House that on February 2 he asked the RCMP to investigate the $2.5 million HRDC grant to CITEC in his riding.
Based on his actions and answers, the Prime Minister obviously knew that the RCMP were investigating this potentially illegal grant on February 2.
How could he stand in the House on February 9 and tell Canadians that only $251.50 of HRDC funds were unaccounted for? Where has truth and accountability in government gone?
Human Resources Development February 29th, 2000
Mr. Speaker, let me try this again. What was the exact date that the Prime Minister was made aware of the investigation from Mr. Vallerand? What did they do with that information and when did they contact the RCMP? In other words, what did the Prime Minister know and when did he forget?
Human Resources Development February 29th, 2000
Mr. Speaker, yesterday when the Prime Minister was questioned about an investigation by the RCMP on CITEC, a company in his riding, he replied, “As soon as my office was informed, the RCMP were informed within minutes”. However, the former Liberal minister of tourism in Quebec, André Vallerand, has stated that he waited over a month for the PMO and HRDC to reply.
There is a contradiction. Who is correct, Mr. Vallerand or the Prime Minister?
Human Resources Development February 28th, 2000
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has tried to minimize this scandal from the beginning, but the evidence of mismanagement is mounting.
The government would have Canadians believe that it blew the whistle on itself by calling the RCMP to investigate HRDC. The minister herself would also have us believe that she was first made aware of the audit in November.
What new evidence came to the minister's attention that led her to call in the RCMP?
Human Resources Development February 28th, 2000
Mr. Speaker, of the small sample of grants examined by the HRDC audit, the Prime Minister's low ball figures of mismanagement have inflated from $243 to a whopping $4.5 million. We know of at least three RCMP investigations in the jobs grants scandal.
Could the Prime Minister tell the House when these investigations began and if he is aware of any investigations pending or any more investigations coming up?
Human Resources Development February 25th, 2000
Mr. Speaker, we know that the government is caught in the past, but can the Minister of HRDC please explain why four companies, owned or partly owned by three members of the executive of the Ministry of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, received $385,000 in HRDC grants for job creations in 1997?
Many of the companies which received over $2.5 million in Kenora—Rainy River, courtesy of the overtaxed Canadian, funnelled $16,000 back to the government member in political donations.
If this is not blatant patronage, what is it?
Cida February 24th, 2000
Mr. Speaker, the minister for CIDA has selective listening skills. We are looking for the full list. We hope she realizes that.
The CIDA audit that was released and ready in September was not read by her until December. A departmental memo also says “we will make our staff more aware of the role starting in January 2000”, six months before they wanted their employees to know of the audit in the first place. Where was the minister? Is she willing to take responsibility for this unreasonable delay?
Cida February 24th, 2000
Mr. Speaker, when asked for a list of companies that were audited, the president of CIDA and her department stated “This becomes an issue of how much you want to go into the public domain”. Shockingly arrogant. Heaven forbid that the Canadian public find out just how their taxpayers' dollars are being spent.
Does the minister agree with the president of CIDA, or will she release the full list of companies that were audited so we can finally get some truth and accountability from this department?
Cida February 24th, 2000
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the international cooperation minister told us that her audit, although completed in September, was finally read by her in December.
Although this contradicted her official spokesperson and a January 24 newspaper account, it pointed out more irresponsible largesse and more frivolous spending to the tune of $850 million.
Why has it taken almost five months and questions from the opposition, again, for the minister to come forward and tell us why she has not started to deal with this damning internal audit?
Cida February 23rd, 2000
Mr. Speaker, that is not what we have been told.
When the audit was released, not only was it done while the House was not in session, but the minister conveniently was out of the country. Her spokesperson insisted that she had not read the audit before she left.
How could the minister have ignored this most important audit in her department since 1992? Let us try again with this minister. When did you first read the report?