Ralph Goodale

[Government Contracts, June 6th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, first let me say that I am delighted to have the endorsement of the hon. member and the New Democratic Party for the value and worth of the sponsorship program.

I am aware of the application to which he has referred. It is under active consideration at the present time. One thing that will be important, of course, in dealing with this particular set of the Canada Games is to make sure that the support of the Government of Canada is provided on a basis consistent with both previous and future sets of the games. It is under active--

[Government Contracts, June 6th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, I gather that buried in that assertion is the allegation that government investments in advertising should be treated differently if it is CTV or Global compared to CBC.

Accordingly, I want to repeat the point. When this activity was undertaken it would appear to have fit within what were then the guidelines of the program. Since that time the guidelines have been changed, so this type of activity would not be permitted.

[Government Contracts, June 6th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, I think the hon. gentleman is referring to certain advertising that took place in connection with the Nagano Olympic Games. To me, this would appear to be clearly an advertising campaign and not a true sponsorship project and therefore, in my opinion, it probably should not have been funded from the sponsorship envelope.

Before I arrived in this portfolio my predecessor already had taken the initiative to change and tighten the program criteria to eliminate that type of activity.

[Government Contracts, June 6th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, I have said both inside and outside the House that with respect to those cases that require police examination I want to be as forthcoming as I can possibly be, but I also do not want to discuss matters in such a casual manner that in fact the police investigation could be compromised.

I am being invited to talk about information in the public domain that might in fact stymie a police investigation and I will not do that.

[Government Contracts, June 6th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, the difficulty yesterday, if any, was in the obscurity of the questions being asked by the opposition members. If the House will recall, I asked them on at least two occasions to clarify what they were talking about.

In the absence of their information, I pointed out that there were matters in relation to CD-ROM-Dessins animés that had in fact been referred, in the proper course, for police investigation.

[Government Contracts, June 6th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, on my very first day in this portfolio I indicated very clearly that transparency, accountability, value for money and respect for the taxpayers' dollars are very, very critical priorities. I intend to honour that trust.

[Government Contracts, June 6th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, as I pointed out to the House, the Francophonie Games was a very large international undertaking. It was organized over a period of at least two years. It was a complex undertaking involving many participants. Over the course of that period of time, it happens, as in business usually, that contract requirements can change and be amended. This was the case in this instance.

[Government Contracts, June 6th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, the RCMP obviously had a very significant reason to celebrate on its 125th anniversary. It was an anniversary that all Canadians wished to participate in, from coast to coast to coast. It was not a police function per se. It was an anniversary celebrating a very important milestone in Canadian history.

As I said to the House earlier today, where there are instances drawn to my attention where in future work can be done without the benefit of an agency, that would be my preference.

[Government Contracts, June 6th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, the RCMP obviously enjoyed a remarkable celebration on its 125th anniversary. It would seem to me that it is appropriate for the Government of Canada, in the appropriate ways, to support that anniversary. I will certainly make inquiries and determine if there is anything at all that can possibly be criticized about this transaction.

[Government Contracts, June 6th, 2002]

Mr. Speaker, the review is being conducted by the internal audit division of my department, which the auditor general has described as excellent and courageous. It is being done by the auditor general herself. It is being done by treasury board. It is being done by the new officials who have been in my department over the course of the last year. The hon. gentleman's allegation is flatly wrong.