Pakistan  Speaker, yesterday the democratic government of Pakistan was overthrown by a military coup. There have been months of internal strife in that country, with complaints of corruption, repression and growing Islamic fundamentalism. In this context we must remember that Pakistan has had several military governments in the past and that its political culture is complex.

National Defence Act  It is worth repeating the words of Chief Justice Dickson: “Something is drastically wrong when the public feels that its military is incompetent and led by an inept if not corrupt hierarchy”. My party agrees with Chief Justice Dickson. There is something drastically wrong. Does the bill address the need for change? I just told the House I disagree with the way the bill arrived here.

Supply  If they were the official opposition the country would be more like B.C. or Ontario under Bob Rae with out of control spending, out of control debt, corruption and dishonesty like we currently have in B.C. under Glen Clark, out of control ethics, dishonesty and corruption in our provincial government. That would be the scene in this Parliament if the NDP were in this spot here in official opposition.

Main Estimates, 1999-2000  I wonder whether the Conservative member for Brandon—Souris continues to support the Senate when Conservatives in Saskatchewan, 18 former elected Conservatives were jailed because of the corruption they were involved with. One was the former deputy premier, Eric Berntson, who is now a senator. After years of gouging Saskatchewan taxpayers he was appointed to the Senate. He was found guilty on a number of fraud charges and breach of trust and now he is being paid as a senator as a result of the wonderful Conservative Party.

Supply  What we are really hearing is that any move toward true aboriginal self-government or toward the emancipation of aboriginal people should be squashed, because for some reason they are not ready for it, or they are too rife with corruption, or there is a mismanagement of funds. For two years we have heard Reform members cite isolated incidences of the misuse of funds. They have tried to thread that together into some overall picture that aboriginal people do not deserve control over their own destiny.

The Environment  A generation from now Canadians will tell the story of this day in parliament as a time when we had the opportunity to reverse years of wrong-headed thinking on the environment corrupted by industrial self-interest, et cetera. Will the Prime Minister be the villain or the hero in this story today? Will he make this day a day of new beginnings for the environment, or will it be the same old story?

Reform Of International Organizations  One of the first things that we have to do as a society, as a government and as a parliament is to work at the bilateral level to encourage and assist countries, in particular third world countries, to start developing proper financial statements so that at the end of the year the people of that country, whether private sector, public sector or taxpayers as a whole, will be able to see how the government is spending its money. Then corruption could be reduced and eventually eliminated. There are many countries around the world that do not issue financial statements. As a result, nobody knows what those countries have in terms of revenues or expenditures.

Bank Act  Judging by the extent of the Asian crisis, which most observers attribute to an opaque and corrupt financial system, there appears to be a consensus that the solidarity of a banking system lies primarily in the quality of its regulation. Without proper and sufficient regulation to supervise and monitor institutions, and to force transparency, at one point any country could fall prey to a crisis of confidence which would be catastrophic to its economy.

Division No. 425  Because it has the absolute power to do anything it wants. And we all know that absolute power corrupts absolutely. To cap it all off, the government has made sure the secrets of how it handles or mishandles pension surpluses remain secret. Bill C-78 denies the auditor general's conducting an audit of the board's investments.

Access To Information Act  These requests are not the work of crackpots who are simply trying to make the public service look bad. They do not represent a concerted effort to reveal dirt about government officials, corruption and such things. Instead the vast increase in requests simply reflects the growing complexity of government and the growing awareness among Canadians of the breadth and range of ongoing government activities.

Firearms Law Sunset Act  The events that took place in Taber, Alberta, have shocked Canadians with the realization that brutal violence and killing is not limited to the United States. Even more shocking is the fact that the corrupting effects of an increasingly violent society have now forever altered our schools, once safe places of learning. In the wake of this tragedy we must attempt to maintain reason. Horrific events such as the shooting in Taber often provoke the knee-jerk reaction of demanding stricter gun control laws.

Supply  I ask the member how he can get up in this House and talk about fiscal responsibility when his soulmate in Saskatchewan, Grant Devine, leader of the most corrupt government in the history of this country, was the biggest spender we have ever seen in terms of driving up the debt and deficit and burdening the people for generations to come. That is sheer hypocrisy.

Aboriginal Affairs  This group has found no conflict of interest guidelines, accountability requirements and no means to deal with corrupt officials. This week in the Vancouver Sun a group of aboriginal women spoke out against the department's policy of transferring the administration of social programs as preliminary steps to self-government.

Administrative Tribunals (Remedial And Disciplinary Measures) Act  That job should be given to competent, trained people who know how to make the proper decisions rather than to friends of the government. Political agencies have corrupted the day to day duties of the agencies. When I say corrupt I am not talking about illegalities but the whole concept of agencies as an expression of the public will by people who are competent and able to do so has been totally corrupted by the fact that they are seen as a place to reward friends and family.

Supply  Had it not been for our election system and the Canada Elections Act, those who reported these alleged offences under the act would never have openly talked, the Minister of Human Resources Development would never have been informed, and no police investigation would ever have taken place. Just look at countries that are known for being corrupt. Their citizens, whether they are company officials or ordinary individuals, do not dare inform authorities of any alleged corruption, because they know their system condones and covers up such acts.