Committees of the House  Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 15th report of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts in relation to its study of chapter 6, Special Examinations of Crown Corporations—2011, of the spring 2012 report of the Auditor General of Canada.

Committees of the House  Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 14th report of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts in relation to its study “Public Accounts of Canada, 2012”. Pursuant to Standing Order 109 of the House of Commons, the committee requests that the government table a comprehensive response to this report.

Ethics  Mr. Speaker, in October 2005, the current Prime Minister asked the Liberal government of the day about the severance package for David Dingwall. He said, “not a single expert has come forward to say that there is an entitlement to severance when one quits a job”. What made the Prime Minister change his mind?

Ethics  Mr. Speaker, also in October 2005, the Prime Minister said, “Why does the Prime Minister not just say no to David Dingwall's demand for more money?” My question is very simple. Why will the Prime Minister not just say “no” to any money being paid out to his former chief of staff?

Committees of the House  Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 13th report of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts in relation to its study of the main estimates 2013-14: vote 20, under finance.

Incorporation by Reference in Regulations Act  Mr. Speaker, it is not an easy question, I must say. I think the question itself provides the answer. The fact is that I cannot answer the questions the hon. member is posing. What is the impact on the ability of our joint committee to continue to function in its current format and procedures?

Incorporation by Reference in Regulations Act  Mr. Speaker, it is an interesting question, similar to the one from the member for Western Arctic. I do not know the answer to the questions. That is why it needs to go to committee. They are very good questions. I do not think we need to be lawyers to understand what is in front of us here.

Incorporation by Reference in Regulations Act  Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for Okanagan—Coquihalla for the question and I particularly thank him for the tone. Often we get into evening debates and things can get a little bit sharp-edged around here and elbows could come up. I appreciate the tone and I appreciate the question.

Incorporation by Reference in Regulations Act  Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to join in the debate on Bill S-12, from that other place. It is interesting, and it needs to be said, that the bill is here because the Senate, of course, has the power to generate bills itself. A lot of people are looking at the scandal that is going on right now and are thinking that we have to get rid of all of that so we can go back to the way we were when the Senate did not really get involved in things.

Ethics  Mr. Speaker, on February 17 the Prime Minister answered in the House that “All senators conform to the residency requirements.” The Senate audit report contradicted this and concluded that Senator Duffy's primary residence was Ottawa, not P.E.I., yet when the final report was tabled, this key paragraph had been erased.

Ethics  Mr. Speaker, the meaning of the deleted paragraph is clear. It reads: His continued presence at his Ottawa residence over the years does not support such a declaration and is contrary to the plain meaning of the word 'primary' and to the purpose and intent of the provision. Who in the PMO was aware of the details in the report?

Ethics  Mr. Speaker, answers like that are classic non-denial denials, just like the non-denial denial from the Prime Minister's former lawyer, Mr. Perrin. He says that he did not know about the cheque being sent, but was silent on whether he knew about the deal being negotiated. He did not say whether he played a role in implementing the decision that led to the cover-up.

The Environment  Mr. Speaker, Randle Reef in Hamilton Harbour is one of North America's most toxic sites. The deadline to sign a cleanup agreement between the federal and provincial governments and local Hamilton stakeholders is fast approaching. However, the Hamilton Port Authority has now raised last-minute liability issues that threaten to derail the negotiations.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is a veteran member of the public accounts committee and happens to be the senior lead for the official opposition. He was in attendance on May 2 when the public accounts committee held its public hearing with the Auditor General on this report. During the course of that meeting, one of the members asked the Auditor General this question: “Is there a risk that some of the $3.1 billion may not have necessarily been spent on what Parliament had approved it for?”

Elections Canada  Mr. Speaker, elections in Canada are nearing a crisis. A new report is pointing to many serious problems from the last campaign. Half the documents that were audited contained errors. There were errors in 165,000 cases; 500 errors per riding. These are the kinds of errors that could overturn election results.