Ralph Goodale

[Business of the House, September 21st, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, I wonder if the government House leader would be kind enough today, in our first week back in the fall sitting, to provide an outline of the business that he proposes to call for the balance of this week and for all of next week.

Specifically, I would ask him when we might expect in the House the environmental plan that has been promised by the government. When will the government table the annual financial report for the Government of Canada for the 2005-06 fiscal year, including the final surplus figures for that year? When will the government come forward with its proposals, whatever they may be, with respect to same-sex marriage? And, will the minister today designate a specific date for a take-note debate on the terrible tragedy in Sudan and Darfur, certainly before the end of September?

[Political Financing, September 20th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, as we saw yesterday, the gutter becomes that hon. minister.

I refer to intimidation and retribution in the access to information process, improper contracts to Conservative insiders not cancelled or repaid as promised, lobbyists using Conservative connections as stepping stones to private profit, and now countless failures to properly report political donations.

Will the government launch an independent forensic audit of all financing submissions to Elections Canada and all party conventions by the Reform Party, the Alliance Party and the Conservative Party of Canada?

[Political Financing, September 20th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, $1.7 million for a Conservative convention went secretly unreported in 2005, and that is not all. More than 150 Conservatives gave their party the legal maximum that year before any convention fees, but some of them, including candidates, MPs and the Prime Minister, were also convention delegates. Their fees put them over the individual limit, so the party contravened the law and individual donors did too.

How will the government investigate the Chief Electoral Officer's obvious concerns?

[Lobbying, September 19th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, I suspect the minister doth protest too much.

Speaking of previous governments, that is the minister who oversaw a $500 million computer boondoggle when he served Mike Harris in Ontario. That is the minister who could not even read his own power bill when he was energy minister. That is the minister who wasted nearly $2 million of taxpayer money on partisan advertising. That is the minister who approved a 48¢ doughnut expense. That is the minister who spent $5,000 polishing his own image.

When is he going to walk the talk?

[Lobbying, September 19th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, in his war with the National Press Gallery, the Prime Minister used his lobbyists, like Tim Powers, Goldy Hyder, Bill Pristanski , Deb Grey, Lisa Samson and Geoff Norquay, to spin and sell the Conservative message, but all this benevolent service by Conservative insiders is not free. They use their privileged status to gain private sector clients.

Is this not a direct violation of the throne speech promise, last paragraph, page 4, to eliminate government stepping stones to private lobbying?

[Criminal Code, September 18th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, I believe we are in agreement. I would just like to hear the motions read. I think we are fine with the substance. I just want to make sure we are dealing with exactly the same subject matter. Once the motions are read, I think we will be able to give our agreement.

[Lobbyists, September 18th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians can do without the smokescreen and all that false bravado. This is not about any previous government. This is all about that Conservative government. It all happened in the last six or seven months. The Prime Minister's former public affairs officer, his director of internal communications, his spokesperson on economic issues, and the list goes on: private profit from Conservative connections. Specifically what sections in the accountability act will henceforth prohibit that practice and will that be retroactive to January?

[Lobbyists, September 18th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, there are reports that former Conservative insiders are now profiting from their political connections as private sector lobbyists: at least 30 well-connected Conservatives, at least 327 contracts to influence public policy, the Prime Minister's director of communications, his director of strategic communications, his senior policy adviser and more.

The Conservatives promised to prohibit former staffers from using their previous positions as stepping stones to private lobbying. Why has that promise been broken?

[Business of the House, June 22nd, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, this is indeed a Thursday and time for the usual Thursday question. Before I ask that question, may I say on behalf of all of the members of the opposition that we heartily endorse your words about the pages who have served this House so well. We certainly want to join with you in thanking all of them for their hard work.

I wonder if the government House leader has any indication at this point what his leading item of business might be when the House resumes on September 18.

I wonder if he can also tell us if he has any specific plans for any summertime royal assents to any of the bills that have already been disposed of by this House.

Also, I wonder if he would take the opportunity during the long hot summer to encourage his caucus to join with him in seeing the Al Gore film called An Inconvenient Truth on the realities of global warming.

[National Defence, June 22nd, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, the House adjourns today and miraculously the government is ready next week to make five announcements about $15 billion in defence procurements, all of which we have asked about in this House for the last two months and for which the government has had no answers.

Is this not convenient timing and all their repeated denials just a smokescreen to hide the fact that the Minister of Defence is deeply conflicted.

This is the chamber of ultimate accountability and Canadian democracy. Why will the Minister of Defence not answer one question in this House?