Stephen Harper

[Government Contracts, April 14th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, the House will recall that I asked nothing about Jean Brault or Gomery or anything else in the last question.

I want the Prime Minister to answer this question. As a minister, has he ever received advice on the government contracting process from a senior government agency, Privy Council Office or the Prime Minister's Office, that he has not followed, or has he always followed the advice he has received on how to abide by the rules of the contracting process?

[Government Contracts, April 14th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, I want to clarify this.

The Prime Minister said that he took the advice of his own ministry. The question is this. Did the Prime Minister ever receive any advice on government contracting from any agency of the government, from the Prime Minister's Office or the Privy Council Office, any advice that he did not follow?

[Government Contracts, April 14th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, that turns out not to have been so difficult. I want to ask the Prime Minister another question.

In the same scrum and today the Prime Minister said he has never interfered with the government contracting process. I want to ask the Prime Minister a more precise question. As Prime Minister and as the minister of finance, did he ever receive advice on the contracting process that he did not follow?

[Sponsorship Program, April 14th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, that was not the question I asked. I would ask the Prime Minister to bear with me.

It has been testified before the Gomery commission, under sworn testimony, that the Prime Minister had lunch and discussed Attractions Canada with Claude Boulay. Did that lunch, did that discussion of Attractions Canada ever take place?

[Sponsorship Program, April 14th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, this morning the Prime Minister told the media, “I can't recall having had lunch with him”--Claude Boulay--“since we formed the government”. However, according to sworn testimony at Gomery, over lunch the Prime Minister discussed Attractions Canada with Claude Boulay. Attractions Canada only came into existence in 1997 after the Liberals formed government.

Could the Prime Minister explain this contradiction?

[Sponsorship Program, April 13th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, if this were not so serious, I would say the Prime Minister is in danger of making himself a national joke.

It is very simple. The Prime Minister testified he had no real relationship of any significance with Claude Boulay. One last time, has he ever sat down and had lunch with Claude Boulay, yes or no?

[Sponsorship Program, April 13th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, it is no wonder the head of the Liberal Party had to write members saying “don't panic”.

I will read the testimony:

Mr. Finkelstein: Do you recall, though, any meeting or get-together of any significance beyond a casual, How do you do?

[The Prime Minister]: No, no.

Alain Renaud: I heard about it at the Convention of the Liberal Party, when the [Prime Minister] and Claude Boulay were together and Mrs. Deslauriers, and they were talking about Attractions Canada. They were talking a lot about it. It was difficult not to listen. I was beside a table, at the Convention, eating a sandwich, and it looked very friendly.

Did--

[Sponsorship Program, April 13th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, we often accuse the Prime Minister of not being transparent, but that was about as transparent as one can be. I am going to ask the Prime Minister the same question again until he answers it.

Yesterday, when asked whether or not he had lunch with Claude Boulay, another sponsorship millionaire, the Prime Minister refused to answer.

I will put my question again. Did the Prime Minister have lunch with Claude Boulay at the Liberal convention, yes or no?

[Sponsorship Program, April 13th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, the House has voted for a full public inquiry.

I want to return to the Prime Minister's evasive answers yesterday. Before the Gomery commission, the Prime Minister said that he had barely any relationship with Claude Boulay, anything beyond a casual “How do you do?” That was his testimony. However, another witness has testified that the Prime Minister discussed government business with Claude Boulay over lunch at the Liberal convention.

Did the Prime Minister have lunch with Claude Boulay on any occasion, yes or no?

[Air-India, April 13th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, last night the House voted to hold a public inquiry into the Air-India tragedy. In fact, members representing every party in this House voted for that motion. The Prime Minister has the moral responsibility to respect the will of the House and the wishes of the families.

Will the Prime Minister respect this vote and immediately call a public inquiry into the Air-India tragedy?