Scott Brison

[Points of Order, November 21st, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, this morning I rise on a point of order to clarify remarks that I made on November 4 in the House. I have sent the following letter to the member for Calgary Southwest and I would like to read that letter today for members:

I am writing to you in connection with three statements made in a published press release on Friday, November 4, 2005.

The three statements, which I now understand to be untrue, are:

(1) “The NCC...has been charged six times under the Canada Elections Act of various malfeasances relating to third party advertising--many of these under [the Leader of the Opposition's] watch”;

(2) [The Leader of the Opposition's] “past is littered with examples of questionable if not illegal behaviour.”; and

(3) [The Leader of the Opposition] “was in contravention of the Lobbyist Registration Act.”

I make the following statements as a correction and by way of apology.

Yours very truly....

I am pleased to table a copy of this letter.

[Sponsorship Program, November 17th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, our Prime Minister deserves respect for having done the right thing, ending the sponsorship program and having had the guts and the integrity to establish the Gomery commission, supporting the work of Justice Gomery and supporting his findings absolutely.

All last winter, the hon. member and his party interfered with the work of Justice Gomery and tried to shed doubt about the work of Justice Gomery. Now that we have Justice Gomery's report, just because they disagree with Justice Gomery's conclusions, they are saying that he is wrong. Canadians believe in Justice Gomery, not the Conservatives, on this issue.

[Sponsorship Program, November 17th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal Party of Canada has paid back any funds received inappropriately to the Canadian taxpayer based on analysis of the facts in Justice Gomery's report. Beyond that, the Prime Minister has referred Justice Gomery's report to the RCMP. The RCMP will investigate if there are further issues.

We also are taking action against 28 firms and agencies to recover $57 million for the Canadian taxpayer. We have taken action. We are demanding accountability and we are strengthening governance.

[Public Works and Government Services, November 16th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, one can only assume that the hon. member does not want the truth to stand in the way of his false allegations.

Once again I will reiterate that he can have a briefing from the department which will show him that best value was achieved. Beyond that, the purchase price was below market value then and today, and the fit-up costs were reasonable to ensure that Canadian public servants were housed reasonably in this building that was purchased in 2003.

[Public Works and Government Services, November 16th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, once again the hon. member is basing his false allegations on an unsubstantiated media story that had its facts wrong.

Yesterday I offered him a briefing from our department that would provide him with the facts. I would reiterate today that the hon. member is more than welcome to entertain that briefing and to learn the facts. He would learn that he was wrong and that best value for the Canadian taxpayer was provided while we achieved reasonable accommodations for Canadian public servants.

[Sponsorship Program, November 16th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, for most reasonable Canadians Justice Gomery represents the truth.

Beyond that, the hon. member and I were once both members of a moderate, progressive and centrist party that believed in bilingualism, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and multiculturalism. I still am and he is not.

[Sponsorship Program, November 16th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, this is what Justice Gomery said in his report:

[The Prime Minister], whose role as Finance Minister did not involve him in the supervision of spending by the PMO or PWGSC, is entitled, like other Ministers in the Quebec caucus, to be exonerated from any blame for carelessness or misconduct.

That is exactly what Justice Gomery said. After hearing from 172 witnesses and after his commission reviewed 28 million pages of documents, Justice Gomery exonerated the Prime Minister completely.

[Public Works and Government Services, November 15th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, I will gladly respond to that non-question. The fact is that this government is committed to getting the best possible value for the Canadian taxpayer, which is why in the Department of Public Works and Government Services, through our changes to real estate practices and our strengthening governance, we will save over a billion dollars over the next five years for the Canadian taxpayer by adopting businesslike practices within our department and managing our real estate portfolio more effectively.

We are walking the walk over here, defending the interests of Canadian taxpayers. They are just talking the talk over there.

[Public Works and Government Services, November 15th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, the fact is that public works, on an ongoing basis, monitors real estate markets to find the best possible real estate and office space for our employees at the best possible value for the Canadian taxpayer.

This building was purchased, was renovated, was brought up to standard for public servants and does represent both principles: the best value for the taxpayer and appropriate quality office space for the Canadian public servant.

Beyond that, the hon. member is basing his allegation on an unsubstantiated media report that had its facts wrong. I would urge him to call my department. We will set up a briefing so he can learn the facts.

[Sponsorship Program, November 15th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, the fact is individuals named in the Gomery report are being held to account. Beyond that, the fact is the first thing the Prime Minister did upon receiving the Gomery report was to refer it to the RCMP for any further investigations.

We stand with Canadians who deserve and demand justice and the truth. That is why the Prime Minister appointed Justice Gomery, supported the work of Justice Gomery and accepts fully the conclusions in the report of Justice Gomery, instead of second-guessing the work of Justice Gomery who met with over 172 witnesses and read 28 million pages of documents in his work, unlike--