Scott Brison

[Sponsorship Program, April 19th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, that is not true, but we know that Groupaction employees gave $100,000 to the Parti Québécois and that Groupaction won contracts from the Société des alcools du Québec and Télé-Québec.

That is quite something for a party that claims to be clean.

[Points of Order, April 18th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, I understand the hon. member asked that the PricewaterhouseCoopers and Deloitte reviews be tabled. In fact, they are posted on the Liberal Party website, as they have been for several months, in both official languages. They have been provided to Justice Gomery for his commission's work, as our auditors in fact are working with Justice Gomery's auditors on this.

I would be delighted, in fact, if the hon. member does not have access to a computer, to print off the documents and table them in the House. That would be a pleasure.

[Sponsorship Program, April 18th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, based on that letter, the only thing the Prime Minister is guilty of is graciousness and bad writing. The fact is a letter sent to constituents or a letter to individuals is something politicians do quite frequently.

I would like to raise one issue. A few months ago, the hon. member said in an interview that there were forms of just discrimination. Throughout history, minorities have heard that kind of rationalization of discrimination, that there are just forms of discrimination.

I am proud to be part of a party, the Liberal Party of Canada, that does not believe discrimination is just, and not sit with that member over there who believes there are just--

[Sponsorship Program, April 18th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, to the contrary, the Prime Minister has no difficulty with the truth. In fact, he stands with Canadians who want the truth. That is why he established Justice Gomery. That is why our government supports the work. He continues to support Justice Gomery because we want Canadians to have the truth. We are not afraid of that truth.

They can quote from individual testimony, and sometimes questionable testimony at that. It is testimony that is contradicted by other days' testimony in some cases. They can quote selectively to make their argument. Frankly, that is the dishonesty, when one picks selectively from individual specious testimony instead of waiting for the truth from Justice Gomery. That is the dishonest party over there.

[Sponsorship Program, April 18th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member should take yes for an answer because the Government of Canada and the Prime Minister of Canada support the work of Justice Gomery. We want to see Justice Gomery report to the Canadian people before an election.

According to the Globe and Mail this morning, “Canadians would rather wait for the publication of the Gomery report before judging the government on the sponsorship issue. This is a sensible position if only for the reasons of elementary fairness. Contrary to the regular courts, where testimony is framed by rules that protect individuals and guarantee the due process of law, commissions of inquiry are verbal free-for-alls”. That is right. That is why we need Justice Gomery's report.

[Sponsorship Program, April 18th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, first, our Prime Minister ended the sponsorship program. He established the Gomery commission. We continue to support the Gomery commission. We believe its work should continue to proceed. The position of the Prime Minister and our government is that the work of Justice Gomery is important to the country, that it should proceed, that Canadians deserve to have the report from Justice Gomery and that they deserve to have the truth and his analysis in its entirety before there is a general election.

[Sponsorship Program, April 18th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, if the best that the opposition can come up with after months and months of Gomery work, after 12 million pages of documents provided to Justice Gomery, after $72 million invested in the Gomery commission to get to the truth, if the only thing that the opposition can come up with is a 50th birthday letter from the Prime Minister to an acquaintance, I think the Prime Minister ought to rest quite comfortably with the fact that that is a desperate opposition trying to tarnish the reputation of a great Prime Minister.

[Sponsorship Program, April 18th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has been absolutely clear on this issue. The fact is that the Prime Minister is the most trusted political leader in this country for a reason. It is clear that Canadians believe the Prime Minister and they believe his testimony.

With questions like that, it is little wonder that Canadians trust the Prime Minister and not the leaders of the other parties on these and other issues.

[Sponsorship Program, April 18th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to quote what Hugh Segal, the former chief of staff to Brian Mulroney, said yesterday: “I think the Prime Minister has made very valiant efforts. It is clear that Canadians do not in any way think there is evidence to suggest that he or his government are corrupt. I think that is a justified conclusion”. That is from Hugh Segal, the former chief of staff to Brian Mulroney.

Further, the hon. member should not be talking about signatures on letters because his signature on a legal document with David Orchard was ripped up as he tore up the party of John. A. Macdonald and spat it out on the Canadian electoral--

[Sponsorship Program, April 18th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has been clear on this issue that he has never met with Mr. Boulay to direct contracts.

The fact is that Canadians trust the Prime Minister of Canada.

What is really shocking is the opposition members who would take Jean Brault's testimony as sacrosanct, who would take Jean Brault, somebody who is facing fraud charges, somebody who is facing a $34 million lawsuit from the federal government, and his testimony as sacrosanct, and then they doubt the right hon. Prime Minister of Canada.

They are playing politics with this issue. We are getting to the truth.