Speech From The Throne  We need to lead in demanding and helping with UN reform. The UN is not working. It is a bureaucratic nightmare, one that has become corrupt with time. It is 50 years old. It needs to be reformed dramatically. We should emphasize the details of that. As an example, we are still fiddling around with Haiti and the mission expires today.

Foreign Affairs  One may argue this is a heavy handed approach but even with President Aristide before President Préval, moneys given to Haiti for aid and development went into the pockets of corrupt officials and were spent in a completely useless fashion. It will require very much an interventionist approach from the international financial institutions to make sure that economic restructuring and moneys designated for economic restructuring go where they are supposed to.

Canadian Foreign Policy  Certainly Canada as a nation in its bilateral relations with other countries of the world is very concerned about issues of corruption and misuse of funds provided for development purposes to other nations. We do everything we can. We use every bilateral instrument we have at hand to try to encourage governments that may be practising corrupt activities to stop.

Immigration And Refugee Board  It must be hard for old style political parties and old style ministers to see past the trough of political patronage and grasp the concept of popular opinion. Since the time of Confederation the political machine in Canada has been rife with corruption and a harbour of patronage. The latest Liberal instalment is yet another chapter in this patronage book. Many initiatives are undertaken to accommodate campaign contributors regardless of the cost of public funds or public safety.

Drug Abuse  Mr. Speaker, the use of drugs is one of the most corrupting influences in our inner cities, producing poverty and crime. In Rosedale riding the Regent Park community centre has set up the Regent Park community coalition against substance abuse to fight this menace.

Department Of Human Resources Development Act  If a national government is not in the business of creating jobs, promoting equality of opportunity and establishing a social safety net, what is its business? Any federal government on the globe that is not totally anaemic, corrupt or viciously insensitive must have these fundamental objectives, especially the government of a country that has been named for the third year running the best country in the world in which to live.

Supply  Apparently, there are two American companies: Boeing and Sikorsky, and three European companies: Eurocopter, Agusta-Westland and the Russian manufacturer Kamov. In the case of Agusta, there is cause for concern because serious accusations of corruption have been made against this company in Europe. But not only does the government refuse to investigate the circumstances of the EH-101 contract award, as requested by the now Minister of Human Resources Development when he was in opposition-

Agusta  No details will be made public until several months, but we know that this settlement will cost several hundred million dollars. Agusta, it must be remembered, is currently facing bribe and corruption charges in Europe. My question is for the Minister of National Defence. While the terms of the settlement reached between the government and Agusta are not yet known, and given that the inquiry called for by the Liberals when they formed the opposition never took place, how can the government explain that Agusta is still being considered for the new helicopter contract?

Purchase Of Helicopters  Mr. Speaker, my question is for the defence minister. Despite serious accusations of corruption made against the Agusta company in Europe and despite several requests for an inquiry made by the Minister of Human Resources Development when he was in opposition, the government continues to negotiate with the Italian firm the settlement of penalties totalling hundreds of millions of dollars for breach of contract with respect to the EH-101.

National Defence  Was the minister's helicopter press conference today a feeble attempt to divert the attention of Canadians away from yet more reports of corruption, deception and misconduct by officials surrounding the minister?

Employment Equity Act  Most important, it enables people to believe in themselves in the sense that they alone control their destiny. Bill C-64 corrupts this conceptualization of opportunity by placing a higher premium on premeditated intervention to fashion outcomes. This wounds all Canadians and cannot be supported. Let us focus on the goals of employment equity for a moment.

Witness Protection Program Act  I call on the solicitor general, on provincial attorney generals, who must deal with these issues practically every day, to use as much common sense as possible when plea-bargaining with witnesses, many of whom are corrupt, who will testify against codefendants in return for a more lenient sentence. This practice deserves a serious examination. It must be the subject of wide criticism and of a broad national debate.

National Defence  I remind the parliamentary secretary that external inquiries are not the question. It is the question of the internal inquiries where cover-ups, corruption and mismanagement are the daily practice at DND. The Prime Minister knows the Canadian Armed Forces has served the country with honour. He knows that his minister has lost the respect of Canadians and has entirely lost control of his department.

Oceans Act  When Reform Party members were there talking to people in the constituencies in Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick we did not hear people giving large accolades for the TAGS program. As a matter of fact, what we heard was talk about corruption and talk about the way the TAGS program had distorted the marketplace, particularly the job market. No one I encountered had anything good to say about it. The member is defending the government's move on licence fees.

Agreement On Internal Trade Implementation Act  When the Conservatives came into power in 1984 they had a lot of promises like the ones we see in the government's red book. They were to clean up the corruption and change the country. We can see what has happened. Not only have more trade barriers probably been thrown up, but we also had an almost unbelievable debt put on us of another $400 billion or very close to it while the Conservatives were in power.