Stockwell Day

[The Economy, March 19th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I am not just citing numbers, I am citing the Prime Minister's own words for a weak dollar.

Let us talk about the words of an economist. Dr. Sherry Cooper of Nesbitt Burns has said that the Canadian dollar weakness, the 23 year decline in the Canadian dollar beginning when the Prime Minister was finance minister, is a reflection of our decline in prosperity and productivity as well as the cause of it.

I am sure the finance minister will stand and start with the hand waving and get the troops all rising and cheering, but will the Prime Minister admit that this 23 year pursuit of a low Canadian dollar has been a failure which has led to a documented declining standard of living and an erosion of the savings of millions of Canadians?

[The Economy, March 19th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, while he says that is not the position of the Prime Minister, let me read the Prime Minister's own words. He has consistently called for a weak dollar. In 1978, when he was finance minister and the dollar started downward, he said that the dollar had to float downward. In 1984 he said that he could live personally with a weaker dollar. In 1990 he said that Canadians should accept a weaker dollar. The Prime Minister did say those things. He has what he wanted. The dollar has fallen by 12 cents since he became Prime Minister.

Does the Prime Minister think that this weak 63 cent dollar is good for the economy? If he does, should we be moving to 60 cents or maybe 50 cents?

[The Economy, March 19th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has proved, by his words and by his actions that he actually supports a weak Canadian dollar.

As a matter of fact, on May 14, 1991, as Leader of the Opposition, he called for abandoning a strong dollar policy. As Prime Minister, of course, he has abandoned the Canadian dollar, letting it sink to just above 63 cents last Friday.

Let me reverse the question that he asked about 10 years ago. Does the Prime Minister not think the time has come to abandon the current economic policy of a weak Canadian dollar?

[Ethics Counsellor, March 16th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I wish he would read all the correspondence. The ethics counsellor has said that, because there may be more information, he has now asked the director general of the corporations branch of Industry Canada to examine the books, a little fact that the Deputy Prime Minister left out.

When the minister's officials examine the books, they will know whether in fact the Prime Minister was in conflict of interest or not.

Will the Deputy Prime Minister or the Minister of Industry share the results of the examination of the books and will they show us the name of this fourth mystery person? The Prime Minister—

[Ethics Counsellor, March 16th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, the Deputy Prime Minister is avoiding something here. The Prime Minister phoned the ethics counsellor in 1996 because he got the shares back. I hope he remembers that when I ask my question. He got the shares back, by his own admission, after about a year and a half of us asking him that question.

I want to know something. We know the names of three of the shareholders. We know the fourth name could be that of the Prime Minister. Now there is only one blank left to fill in.

Since privacy is not the concern in this case, will the Prime Minister commit to releasing the identity of the fourth shareholder after the officials examine the records? They are looking at those records. Will—

[Ethics Counsellor, March 16th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, the matter of the mystery shareholder of the Grand-Mère golf course could all be so simple. Yesterday I again asked the Prime Minister to say a few words about his potential ownership of the Grand-Mère golf course but he kept dodging the question. He has refused to answer the very simple question about who the mystery fourth shareholder of the golf course was between 1996 and 1999.

If he was not a shareholder, and I am not saying he was or he was not, he raises the curiosity by not answering it directly.

I am simply asking him today, if he was not a shareholder between 1996 and 1999, who was the fourth mystery shareholder?

[Ethics Counsellor, March 15th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, he sold those shares but he admits after about of year of pressure on the question that he got the shares back in 1996. He keeps avoiding that.

Why will he not tell us if he knows who is the fourth mystery shareholder and what is the accepted process after shares have been told to be sold but he winds up getting them back?

[Ethics Counsellor, March 15th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I very clearly asked the Prime Minister, relating to the public record which shows the names of three of the four shareholders of the Grand-Mère Golf Club, if he would tell us if that fourth mystery shareholder was Mr. Jonas Prince or was in fact the Prime Minister himself.

He did not answer which one so I will simply ask this question. Does the Prime Minister know who the fourth mystery shareholder is?

[Ethics Counsellor, March 15th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, just when the Prime Minister thought he was out of the woods regarding the Auberge, he finds himself in the middle of the adjacent golf course.

For two years we have been asking the Prime Minister to table documents, but he consistently refused to do so.

In light of this new investigation, will the Prime Minister finally table all the documents relating to the Grand-Mère golf course, in 1993, and any other document—

[Ethics Counsellor, March 15th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, he neglected to quote the most recent letter. The Director of Corporations at Industry Canada has said that he will finally examine the corporate records of the Grand-Mère golf club. I have asked him, through the ethics counsellor, to do this and to release the names of the four shareholders from 1996 to 1999. The names of three of the shareholders are already listed in public documents. Only the identity of the fourth shareholder still remains a mystery.

Who is the secret fourth shareholder? Is it Jonas Prince or is it the Prime Minister himself?