Mr. Speaker, I am not sure what the question is there.
As we know, Deloitte was retained by the Senate of Canada to do an audit, and Deloitte stands by the findings of its audit.
House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2015, with 64% of the vote.
Ethics November 26th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, I am not sure what the question is there.
As we know, Deloitte was retained by the Senate of Canada to do an audit, and Deloitte stands by the findings of its audit.
Ethics November 26th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, once again, just to clarify on the legal expenses, as I said before, I became aware of that on May 15. That was not a surprise to me, given that parties regularly provide legal assistance to their caucus members, just as the Leader of the Opposition's party has provided him with tens of thousands of dollars, in fact six figures' worth, of legal expenses.
Ethics November 26th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, I have just said repeatedly “no” on that. In fact, as is well known, no such payment took place.
It was Mr. Wright who secretly paid Mr. Duffy. He gave him a gift and then allowed him to claim that he had repaid his expenses. That was obviously not correct, and that is why those two individuals are under investigation.
Ethics November 26th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, again, I have been very clear on that.
It was my view from the beginning, as I told Mr. Duffy, that he should repay his own expenses. I did not suggest the party should repay them or that Mr. Wright should repay them or that anybody else should repay them.
Once again, I was told that Mr. Duffy would repay them. I was told he had repaid them, not anybody else. I could not be clearer on that fact.
Those are the facts. Of course, as we know, that was not true, and that is why two individuals are under investigation.
Ethics November 26th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, the RCMP has been clear. Two individuals are under investigation, and our government is co-operating fully.
Canadians do not agree with the Liberal Party, which is protecting senators who break the rules.
Ethics November 26th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, once again the facts here are that Mr. Duffy claimed he had repaid his inappropriate expenses when in fact he had accepted a gift from Mr. Wright.
That gift was not properly disclosed and was in fact misrepresented. That is why those two individuals are under investigation, as they should be, and why we will continue to assist the RCMP in any and all—
Ethics November 26th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, there are two individuals who are under investigation, and there are a number of senators who broke rules or who disregarded rules.
Those senators have been dealt with harshly by the Senate of Canada, by the Conservative senators in the Senate of Canada. It is up to the leader of the Liberal Party to explain why the Liberal Party tries to protect such rule-breakers.
Ethics November 26th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, that statement is totally false. The RCMP has said that there are two individuals who are under investigation.
When the Leader of the Opposition starts tarnishing the names of people who face no allegations whatsoever, I am reminded once again of the old saying, “When you throw mud, you lose ground”.
Ethics November 26th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, it is obviously up to the RCMP to conduct the investigations. As the RCMP has been very clear, we have been providing them with any and all access to the information that is necessary. The RCMP has made clear that there are two individuals who are under investigation. Those are individuals whom we have already sanctioned. Obviously, we will continue to assist the RCMP.
Food Safety November 26th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, the government always acts on the recommendations of any auditor general. That is why our government has invested more in the food safety system. Our government will continue to make the necessary investments to ensure that our system remains a world-class system.