Members Of Parliament Retiring Allowances Act  Madam Speaker, just under two years ago Canadians sent a clear message to Ottawa that they were tired of the status quo, of hypocritical politicians and subsequently voted in 205 rookies. My speech is to those rookies and my message is, let us not let the veterans corrupt us. When the voters fired the former frontbenchers, the former backbenchers and former prime ministers, they took away their power but for most not their pay cheques. As taxpayers we will be paying them for life 75 per cent of the average of their best six years of salary if they served 15 years.

Members Of Parliament Retiring Allowances Act  Prior to the 1993 federal campaign in Canada and the 1991 provincial campaign in Saskatchewan, we have seen people who are disenchanted and cynical about elected politicians because of corruption, dishonesty and incompetence. New Democrats have always said, and we are supported by Canadians across the country, that if the government is good and honest and provides a fair agenda of legislation, pay and compensation will not be issues.

Lobbyists Registration Act  Introducing a bill like Bill C-43 regarding lobbyists brings our political integrity into question because, as politicians, we know that there is corruption and abuse of power in those circles. The fact is that we are in a position to act and pass a bill that would have teeth, but we are not taking advantage of this possibility. This brings us into disrepute.

Lobbyists Registration Act  Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I am sure on careful reflection of the blues the use of such words as "corruption" are unparliamentary. I think the member ought to apologize now. If he does not have the guts to do that, he should step outside and use those words-

Lobbyists Registration Act  Otherwise he would not have made a comment. Sad as it may be, even some elected members of Parliament have been corrupt in the past so an election is no guarantee. We need citizens who will serve the country with integrity. The justices of the Supreme Court have been appointed to office but have retained their independence.

Code Of Conduct  Rather, it was the fact that it was put together by the Mulroney government which was by then looked upon as unscrupulous and possibly corrupt. The Pearson contract was a victim of election rhetoric, which I was caught up in as well. I was one of the voices that questioned whether or not the contract holders were entitled to any compensation if the accusations levelled against them were true.

Lobbyists Registration Act  I will not answer it because I find it deplorable that a member did not raise to express his concerns and or defend the ideas he had when he was in the opposition. Power corrupts and gives Alzheimer's to Liberals. I would now like to refer to another issue over which the Liberals ranted and raved when they were in the opposition, and that is the contacts initiated by lobbyists with ministers and officials.

Lobbyists Registration Act  One of the things Canadians sometimes fail to appreciate enough is that many businesses that speak to me about their efforts to trade around the world tell me that throughout the world countries like Canada which have a political and bureaucratic system almost entirely free of corruption are very rare. This is something we have for which we should be eminently grateful. The purpose of this bill is to try to ensure that at the same time as preserving and protecting the fundamental honesty of our government system, we are also recognizing the fact that government needs to be open in a democratic society.

Lobbyists Registration Act  For a long time they called for a law governing lobbying activities on Parliament Hill, even before the arrival of Conservatives and Liberals, because they know that lobbyists exercise undue pressure. They know that patronage exists within the government, as well as waste and corruption. They know it, although they do not have any concrete proof, but there are signs, gestures, and recent events that show without any doubt that lobbyists manage to extract favours from the government by undue pressure.

Lobbyists Registration Act  They will be able to find out who is lobbying who, what they are being paid, what the conditions are, what their connections are. There will be a good check and balance against the kind of corruption which can so easily enter the open government system. What is happening today is a public debate. People can hear it; not only members of Parliament but any member of the public who wants to hear what is happening in the House has the ability to do so.

Purchase Of Eh-101 Helicopters  I do not think it is inappropriate to initiate discussions. Since Agusta is under investigation in Belgium and Italy for influence-peddling, corruption and arms smuggling, how can the Prime Minister justify continuing negotiations with Agusta without first looking into this company's profits in the Canadian helicopter deal?

Purchase Of Eh-101 Helicopters  As a result of the investigation into the murder of a Belgian government minister, Agusta is now in hot water in Belgium for alledgedly paying $12 million in bribes in connection with a contract to purchase helicopters for the Belgian army. Given the allegations of corruption made against Agusta, does the Prime Minister promise to suspend all negotiations with this company until the government has completed a judicial inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the EH-101 contract agreement, as the Minister of Human Resources Development called for on April 13, 1993?

Borrowing Authority Act, 1995-96  These subsidies are going to taxes that have been developed by overspending, mismanagement and corruption. I want to tell the Liberal members from the west coast when the transport minister talks of becoming a market economy and becoming more efficient, the farmers with some government help did build the Prince Rupert high throughput elevator so that we could move grain faster.

Property Rights  It is our fundamental belief in justice that has motivated many Canadians to demand stiffer penalties for criminals, to demand more accountability of government spending of their tax dollars, and to demand the retrenchment of their property rights. In a just society the weak do not have to fear the strong or the corrupt because they know their rights will be respected and the rule of law will protect them. In a just society the state will defend individual property rights from those who would take them.

Supply  I would argue that this type of oversimplification is what brings the wave of anger across the country on to the floor of Parliament and does not filter as a responsible parliamentarian would what is honestly wrong with the system and what is not. As long as they play to the crowd that this is corrupt place, a place where people do not work and a place where people try to rip off the system, the country will not feel good about itself. The major transformation we have to make, which the government has taken to its Prime Minister as the primary responsibility of governing, is to ensure Canadians have confidence in their government, confidence in the way their dollars are being spent and confidence that we have a plan for the future.