Siobhan Coady

[Ethics, April 26th, 2010]

So the minister is not going to table a list, Mr. Speaker?

Investment Executive magazine reported that last September Mr. Jaffer organized a daylong meeting in Toronto between a group of banking executives and the Conservative financial services caucus, including the chair of the Commons finance committee. Transparency does not mean one tells only when one is caught. We know this meeting took place.

How many other such meetings did Mr. Jaffer organize for Conservative members of Parliament and what was promised or discussed?

[Ethics, April 26th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, in his election platform the Prime Minister promised, “A Conservative government will require ministers and senior government officials to record their contacts with lobbyists”. Guidelines by the commissioner of lobbying say public office holders should maintain a list of all meetings with lobbyists.

We know Mr. Jaffer was in contact with the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, the Minister of the Environment, the Minister of Industry, parliamentary secretaries and staff. Will the government table a comprehensive list of all contacts with Mr. Jaffer, or will it continue its culture of deceit?

[Ethics, April 22nd, 2010]

However, Mr. Speaker, he did have copies of the proposal to circulate and he did have dinner with him.

After weeks of stonewalling and denying, and only minutes after the testimony of Mr. Jaffer and Mr. Glémaud, the panicked Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities widely released several different versions of these three proposals that GPG gave to him.

Given the Conservative culture of deceit, we all know there is more. When can the House expect the government to table all meetings that ministers, parliamentary secretaries and the Conservative caucus have had with the principals of GPG, and all submitted documents? When?

[Ethics, April 22nd, 2010]

Talk about special access, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday the minister of infrastructure circulated copies of proposals from Mr. Jaffer that the minister said he had not spoken to him about. These proposals, asking for millions of taxpayers' dollars, were sent for review to the parliamentary secretary to the minister. They were not submitted using regular channels. They were given special attention by the parliamentary secretary.

Could the minister confirm that he knew of these proposals and gave Mr. Jaffer, the former Conservative caucus chair, special access?

[Information Technology, April 20th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General today has reported that the government's aging information technology is a significant risk that the government has failed to address. It has ignored this problem and there is now a $2 billion shortfall in three departments alone that could mean EI benefits, income tax rebates and refunds and pension benefits are all at risk.

Why does the government fail to treat this as a priority?

[Public Safety, April 20th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General's report shows that the RCMP believes the Conservative government's negligence “increases the risk to police and public safety that could lead to injury or death”.

Why has the Conservative government placed front-line officers and Canadian families at unnecessary risk?

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, April 19th, 2010]

With regard to Access to Information Requests for 2005-2006, 2006-2007, 2007-2008, 2008-2009, and in 2009: (a) in each of the above mentioned years and broken down by department, how many Access to Information Requests have been responded to (i) within 30 days, (ii) within 30 to 60 days, (iii) within 60 to 90 days; (b) broken down by department, how many Access to Information Requests have taken more than 90 days to respond to in each of the above mentioned years; (c) broken down by department, what was the processing time for each request that took longer than 90 days in each of the above mentioned years; (d) broken down by department, what is the average length of time for processing for each of the above mentioned years; and (e) broken down by department, (i) how many Access to Information Requests were denied in each of the above mentioned years, (ii) what were the reasons given for the denials of these requests?

[Questions on the Order Paper, April 15th, 2010]

With regard to Public Works and Government Services Canada: (a) what are the total number of contracts under $10,000 awarded between January 2008 and December 2009; (b) what were the names of the suppliers; (c) what services did they provide; (d) what were the start and end dates of each contract; and (e) what was the contractor code for each supplier?

[Motor Vehicle Safety Act, April 15th, 2010]

moved, seconded by the hon. member for Trinity—Spadina, for leave to introduce Bill C-512, An Act to amend the Motor Vehicle Safety Act (side guards).

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for Trinity—Spadina for seconding my private member's bill. I know she has advocated for the changes that I seek to make in this bill as well.

Today I am introducing a private member's bill to increase road safety. The bill would amend the Motor Vehicle Safety Act to ensure that all vehicles in the higher weight categories that are manufactured or imported to Canada would be equipped with side guard protection. With the passage of the bill, Canada would join the European Union and Australia in protecting its citizens such as pedestrians and cyclists against the risk of falling under the sides of vehicles in higher weight categories.

My province of Newfoundland and Labrador has recognized the value of this safety measure and is installing side guards on its new fleet of snow removal equipment. Many lives could be saved if these measures were in place. The tragic loss of Jessica Holman-Price has moved her family into action on this very issue and her family brought this information to me. Her parents are with us today as well.

I urge all members of the House to support this bill when it comes up for debate.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, April 14th, 2010]

With regard to the Privy Council Office: (a) what are the total number of contracts under $10,000 awarded between January 2008 and December 2009; (b) what were the names of the suppliers; (c) what services did they provide; (d) what were the start and end dates of each contract; and (e) what was the contractor code for each supplier?