Stephen Harper

[Political Financing, March 2nd, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, the question in dispute is whether election expenses, which were fully reported, are national or local by definition. That has been the dispute for the past five years.

The party respected the interpretations of the law, as it understood it at the time. It has altered those interpretations and its practices in the election of 2008, in which we also wanted to conform with the new interpretations. We will continue to do so in the future, and obviously defend the actions of our people.

[Political Financing, March 2nd, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, it is not a question of illegal money; rather it is a question of whether the expenses were local or national.

Our position is clear: we already abided by Election Canada's new interpretations during the 2008 election, which we won again. We will always comply with decisions on this matter.

[Political Financing, March 2nd, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, the courts have handed down different decisions and we still have the right to appeal. Our party and our candidates acted in good faith. We changed our practices three years ago as a result of changes to Elections Canada interpretations.

[Political Financing, March 2nd, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservative Party always respects the interpretations that are in place. At that time, there were different court decisions on the matter. We will continue to defend our position in the courts.

[Political Financing, March 2nd, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, as I have said before, there have been different court decisions on this particular matter, which has gone on for some years. For that reason, we will be appealing the most recent decision.

That said, our position is clear: we respect the interpretations of Elections Canada. In this particular instance, we changed our practices to conform with its new interpretations three years ago.

As for election verdicts, I would encourage the Leader of the Opposition to focus on the economy and the real priority of Canadians.

[Political Financing, March 2nd, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, the courts rendered different decisions on this issue, which is why we will appeal the most recent decision. Our party's position is to always respect Elections Canada's interpretation of the law and, in fact, we changed our practices in this regard three years ago.

[Pakistan, March 2nd, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question and the member for his statement as well.

I want to also share in that shock and outrage, and also to express our condolences to the friends, family and colleagues of minister Shahbaz Bhatti, who was a courageous defender of human rights. He was recently in my office. He knew that his life was in jeopardy in his fight against the notorious blasphemy laws and his defence of religious freedom.

We call on Pakistani authorities to pursue justice for the killers of minister Bhatti and also to ensure that they continue the fight for religious freedom for both non-Muslims and Muslims alike.

[Libya, March 1st, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, in light of the trouble and likely ongoing concerns in the region, the HMCS Charlottetown will depart Halifax tomorrow to take part in Canadian and international evacuation operations that are already under way in Libya.

I am proud that HMCS Charlottetown is being dispatched quickly to join the Canadian Forces and our allies to help our efforts in Libya.

The men and women of our naval forces and the men and women of all of our armed forces have been called upon time and time again to make a difference in difficult situations. We are once again pleased that they are answering the call.

[Democratic Reform, March 1st, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, I must admit that we do not always associate a practical plan and the NDP in the same sentence, but what the leader of the NDP suggests is the abolition of the Senate. I know there is much sympathy in the country for that. The reality is that would involve reopening the Constitution and getting a unanimous resolution, which is unlikely.

We do have a practical plan to allow for Senate elections and the limitation of senators' terms. I would encourage the NDP and all those others with practical plans to support that practical plan.

[Political Financing, March 1st, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, as I already said, we always followed the rules as they were interpreted at the time. When the interpretations changed, we changed our practices. Even during the 2008 election we did not use in and out financing, as Elections Canada determined after the 2006 election. We will always follow the rules in place. I hope that all of the parties that used in and out financing will also comply with the new interpretations.