Mr. Speaker, let me just say very directly to the hon. gentleman that in a contest of public ethics I will stack mine against his any day of the week.
House of Commons photoLost his last election, in 2019, with 34% of the vote.
Government Contracts June 11th, 2003
Mr. Speaker, let me just say very directly to the hon. gentleman that in a contest of public ethics I will stack mine against his any day of the week.
Government Contracts June 11th, 2003
Mr. Speaker, on the basis of the information in the files, it would appear that this particular standing offer was established by a competitive process. Nevertheless, as the House knows, I have never favoured the use of independent advertising agencies as administrative intermediaries and I terminated that practice more than one year ago.
Government Appointments June 10th, 2003
Mr. Speaker, large parts of the activities of the Department of Public Works and Communication Canada in the timeframe that is being referred to here are already under thorough investigation on at least three different levels: under the terms of the Financial Administration Act; by the Auditor General; and where appropriate, by the RCMP.
Whatever the demands the opposition may make today with respect to a public inquiry, regardless of that, the proper investigations are already underway.
Government Contracts June 10th, 2003
Mr. Speaker, I would think the hon. member, indeed all members of the House and the general public, are anxious to get to the bottom of things and have a thorough ventilation of these issues, and would rely upon the two most effective investigative authorities, the Auditor General on one hand, the RCMP on the other.
Government Contracts June 10th, 2003
Mr. Speaker, in respect of the activities of the Department of Public Works and Communication Canada, all the management issues are subject to a government-wide audit now, being conducted by the Auditor General.
The activities of specific public servants are being pursued under the Financial Administration Act. Any possibility of illegality is being clearly examined by the RCMP.
As I have said on every occasion, the government is pursuing the matter and ensuring the proper result is obtained.
Government Contracts June 10th, 2003
Mr. Speaker, as I have indicated on various occasions, all matters that merit investigation are in fact being investigated by all the proper authorities. This issue has been properly dealt with in the public arena by this government.
Government Contracts June 10th, 2003
Mr. Speaker, flatly, no.
Question No. 224 June 10th, 2003
This matter was referred to the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) board of directors and their legal counsel.
Regarding (a), fees or costs associated with the administration of licences fall within the purview of the management of the CWB, which is conducted under the direction of the CWB board of directors. The CWB has indicated for the 2000-01 crop year that export licences issued for grain produced in the designated area amounted to 96% of the total licences issued. The administrative costs of issuing export licences in the 2000-01 crop year amounted to $101,115. Almost all of this expense was incurred with respect to staffing. As such it is an administrative expense of the CWB and may be deducted from proceeds received into the pool accounts per paragraph 33(1)(a) of the act. The CWB's Export Licensing Department handles all aspects of issuing export licences and is composed of two full-time members. Given that most of the export licences are issued in connection with grain produced in the designated area, it would take both staff members to administer those licences alone. Accordingly, there are no incremental costs to the CWB for issuing the relatively small number of licences for grain produced from outside the designated area.
With respect to subsection 7(3) of the Canadian Wheat Board Act, the CWB argues that this subsection, in fact, deals with losses sustained by the corporation. Subsection 7(3 ) provides that such losses from its operations in relation to any pool period relating to interprovincial and export marketing of wheat by the CWB, and from other operations, for which no other provision is made under the act, shall be paid out of moneys provided by Parliament. Given that there are no incremental administrative costs regarding grain from the non-designated area, there are no losses sustained by the CWB from administering these export licenses.
Regarding (b), no corrective action was required.
With respect to (c), the answer to (a) above describes the facts discovered and the response to (b) above describes the conclusion reached.
With respect to (d), the administrative costs of issuing export licences in the 2000-01 crop year amounted to $101,115.
Public Works and Government Services June 9th, 2003
Mr. Speaker, when matters come within the purview of the RCMP, it is entirely the judgment and discretion of the RCMP that applies and it should never be the intervention of politicians.
Government Contracts June 9th, 2003
Mr. Speaker, from the very first day that I occupied this portfolio I think it is fair to say that I have been proactive in getting to the bottom of these matters. The investigative measures are under way, partly by the Auditor General, partly under the Financial Administration Act, and partly by the RCMP. If the opposition is truly interested in getting to the bottom of this matter, defining the facts and seeing the proper consequences follow, it will allow these procedures to run their course.