Ralph Goodale

[Points of Order, March 21st, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I was just about to make a suggestion that it might be more useful to understand exactly what the government House leader had in mind, if he could put his complete proposition before the House and then we could consider what he has to say.

[The Budget, March 20th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's spin doctors are peddling this jiggery-pokery about per capita numbers for Saskatchewan, but they just do not cut it. Ask the Conservative opposition leader in Saskatchewan. They add together dogs, cats, horses, chickens and eggs, and concoct a smokescreen to hide the hard reality that the Conservatives did not tell Saskatchewan the truth.

Much of this Conservative flim-flam is based on one time money for items that have already been nullified by tax increases or programs cuts. It is a fraud.

As with income trusts, why does the government have such trouble telling the truth?

[The Budget, March 20th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, at least five premiers are very unhappy with yesterday's budget. In Saskatchewan the Conservative promise about equalization was torn to shreds. It is the biggest sucker punch since Todd Bertuzzi.

Saskatchewan was told that non-renewable natural resources would be out of the equalization formula. Saskatchewan was not told that an overriding cap would reduce the Conservative promise to a complete farce. This is dishonest in the extreme.

Why does the government treat the people of Saskatchewan with such utter contempt?

[The Budget, March 20th, 2007]

You are looking rather mean, Jim.

[Points of Order, March 2nd, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, in light of what the government House leader just said moments ago, I simply want to confirm with him that he is now confirming to the House that the appointment process to which he is referring was perfectly in order and 100% proper.

[Points of Order, March 2nd, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I have a different example of the same sort of problem. Yesterday the Prime Minister personally attacked another member of Parliament and her spouse, but today we learn that the Conservative member for Medicine Hat, in his previous capacity as minister of citizenship and immigration, wrote to that very spouse on his departure from the IRB and said this:

—I am writing to express my appreciation for your years of service...I was always able to count on your hard work and your dedication.

You can certainly take enormous satisfaction in and be extremely proud of the contribution you made while acting in the best interests of Canada and the individuals you represented.

I wonder if the Prime Minister would now withdraw his attack against the member of Parliament and that particular spouse. I wonder if the member for Medicine Hat remembers signing that letter.

[Afghanistan, March 2nd, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, if the three detainees cannot be tracked, the investigation itself may be nullified. The agreements between Canada and Afghanistan require that both countries keep accurate written records accounting for all detainees.

Can the minister produce the written records pertaining to these three detainees? Has he seen them? Where was their last known location and circumstance, and when were all the Canadian records last checked against the records kept by the Afghan government and by the Red Cross?

[Afghanistan, March 2nd, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, for both security reasons and human rights reasons, not to mention Canada's international reputation, the whereabouts, condition and status of these detainees is a serious matter. Now the investigations, which the minister refers to, could well be in jeopardy.

It appears that Canada's formal agreements with both Afghanistan and the International Committee of the Red Cross have been violated.

What specific contact has the minister had himself, directly and personally, with the Afghan government and with the Red Cross to get some real answers on these issues about these three men?

[Afghanistan, March 2nd, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, again this morning, as over the last several days, media reports are concluding that it is difficult to believe what the government says because it often distorts the truth. Today we need the truth about Afghan detainees.

Does the Minister of National Defence know where these three men are right now and if not, how did he lose track of them? How did that happen?

[Business of the House, March 1st, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I wonder if the government House leader would reiterate his plans for the business for the rest of today and tomorrow.

The next two weeks are a scheduled parliamentary break, so I wonder if the House leader could also specifically tell us what House business he is planning for that full week that we are back after the break, including all of the exact days that will be designated for the budget debate, the exact time of the budget votes, and the final supply day that he will designate before the deadline on March 26.