Stockwell Day

[Auditor General's Report, October 18th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, we have seen Pavlov's dogs before and we are seeing it again.

I guess we have got it wrong. According to the Prime Minister, the auditor general did not say that he wasted $3 billion. According to the Prime Minister, I guess the information commissioner did not say that public servants felt threatened, did not say that the Prime Minister undermined democracy. I guess we have got it wrong.

Why does the Prime Minister not just say that we are all wrong, every media report is wrong and the Canadian public who are phoning and e-mailing by the thousands are wrong?

[Auditor General's Report, October 18th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, I guess we have got it all wrong. According to the—

[Auditor General's Report, October 18th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, I guess we have got it all wrong. The auditor general did say $3 billion worth of spending—

[Auditor General's Report, October 18th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister delights in reviewing my record which is encouraging to me because he may learn something from my record.

The auditor general talked about the policies I put in place as the finance minister, which were highly effective, and I received praise for those.

The main difference between my record of involvement with any kind of grants, or whatever it may be, is that none of my involvements have required RCMP investigations, but his have.

Will he apologize for all those RCMP investigations that have had to take place?

[Auditor General's Report, October 18th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, there was no mistake. The way that contract went out, it was a grant.

If he will not apologize for all the things the auditor general has said, will he apologize for what the information commissioner has said?

He has had a day to think about it. We can all make mistakes. Three billion dollars a year, it can happen. Canadians are very forgiving, and I say that sincerely.

On the eve of a possible election call, which he says will be based on values, does he believe in the value of forgiveness? Will he just stand and say to Canadians that he is sorry and apologize?

[Auditor General's Report, October 18th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, he calls his MPs nervous nellies and we certainly saw a display of that right there.

It has been pointed out that the Prime Minister, in his own riding gave a grant to someone who was unqualified to receive a CIDA grant but who was a close friend of his. This is just one of a depressing catalogue of things that have not been done properly by the Prime Minister.

If he will not fix them, as he indicated he will not, will he at least make Canadians feel a little bit better on the apparent eve of an election by saying that he is sorry and apologize?

[Auditor General's Report, October 18th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister can be as selective as he wants. In fact the auditor general continues to speak about the fact—

[Auditor General's Report, October 18th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, the auditor general's report, one of the most scathing in recent memory, talks about one department alone wasting and mismanaging something like $3 billion per year.

In one year, $3 billion would hire 4,000 doctors, 4,000 nurses and purchase 500 MRIs.

The auditor general goes on to say that apparently whatever has been put in place to supposedly fix the problem in fact is probably not adequate.

If the Prime Minister will not even fix the problem, will he at least apologize to Canadians for this?

[Information Commissioner's Report, October 17th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, if the Prime Minister wants precise, it is here in the information commissioner's report: the worst record in 17 years.

If he will not admit that the information commissioner was telling the truth, if he will not take responsibility for wasting $3 billion a year which could have gone to health care, will he at least support the Canadian Alliance position on health care to add a sixth principle to the Canada Health Act that will guarantee funding at the federal level so that no federal government ever again could rip $25 billion out of the health care system?

[Information Commissioner's Report, October 17th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, the information commissioner says that the Prime Minister set the worst record of any minister in 17 years. Looking at this, it is no secret the Prime Minister does not want to show off a recent poll which says Canadians think he is the most arrogant and untrustworthy of all political leaders.

He can restore some small faith to Canadians if he would admit that the $25 billion he ripped out of the health care system went to cover the $21 billion that he wasted in HRD. Will he admit that?