[asia-apec 723] Cda.Hansard, Sept.28/98, re: APEC'97

[Sharon R.A. Scharfe]

September 28, 1998

Excerpts from Official Transcript (English version)
House of Commons
Ottawa, Canada


...

ORAL QUESTIONS

...        

APEC SUMMIT 

Ms. Alexa McDonough (Halifax, NDP): Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister keeps
giving assurances that the Public Complaints Commission will get to the
bottom of the Prime Minister's actions and those of his staff in the
Spray-PEC fiasco, but the government's own lawyer says that documents from
the Prime Minister's Office are not even relevant to the inquiry. 

How does the Prime Minister explain the contradiction? 

Hon. Herb Gray (Deputy Prime Minister, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, there is no
contradiction. 

The commission hearings will open on Monday. I am sure they will look
thoroughly into the matters that have been brought before it by the
protesters who have made complaints. 

How does the hon. member explain that she once again said something to the
House on Friday that was inaccurate, and fails to get up to apologize, when
she claimed that Mr. Goldenberg took  an initiative to contact the president
of the University of British Columbia and it was just the opposite? 

Why does she not get up and apologize? Explain that contradiction. 

Ms. Alexa McDonough (Halifax, NDP): Mr. Speaker, earlier today a motion was
filed with the Public Complaints Commission seeking assurances that the
commission would include the actions of the Prime Minister and his staff. 

In view of the Prime Minister's stated commitment to co-operate fully, will
the government instruct its lawyers to immediately support this motion? 

Hon. Herb Gray (Deputy Prime Minister, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, under the law
setting up the commission, its terms of reference are set by the commission
itself and not by the government. 

Therefore I am sure the commission, which is at arm's length from the
government, a non-political and non-partisan body, will listen carefully and
make the proper decision. 

I do not think it is appropriate for the leader of the NDP to call on the
government to in effect instruct the commission. 

                                    *  *  *
...

APEC SUMMIT 

Mr. Jim Abbott (Kootenay—Columbia, Ref.): Mr. Speaker, the solicitor general
loves to tell us that the public complaints commission is going to get to
the bottom of the APEC affair. Under that commission it has been demanded
that protester Jones release between 800 and 1,200 documents to the public
complaints commission, including private correspondence even with his
girlfriend. 

By contrast, the Prime Minister's office has released one thin binder. Are
we to believe a 33 year old student protester has more documentation on this
than the Prime Minister? 

Hon. Andy Scott (Solicitor General of Canada, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, surely the
hon. member, after all of last week, will understand that the public
complaints commission is the instrument that has been established by
parliament to get to the truth. I think most Canadians would appreciate
allowing it  the opportunity to find that truth, as that is ultimately what
we are all after. 

Mr. Jim Abbott (Kootenay—Columbia, Ref.): Mr. Speaker, to be very candid, I
do not believe the solicitor general is interested in getting to the bottom
of this affair. I believe he is blocking it by using the public complaints
commission. 

How is it that a 33 year old student has more documentation demanded of him
by the public complaints commission than the Prime Minister to this point
has revealed? How can he explain that this is not a cover-up by the Prime
Minister's office? 

Hon. Andy Scott (Solicitor General of Canada, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I can
assure the hon. member that I do want to get to the truth and I think most
people are aware of that. The instrument to do that is the PCC. 

On the question of availability, the PCC makes the decisions as to where to
get its information. It is its job to get to the truth and it will get there. 

                                    *  *  *

...

APEC SUMMIT 

Mr. Peter MacKay (Pictou—Antigonish—Guysborough, PC): Mr. Speaker, day after
day Canadians have been forced to witness the sad spectacle of the Prime
Minister cowering behind the solicitor general and his broken record
responses about the independence of the APEC inquiry that is going on. 

Why should Canadians have any confidence that a government that ignored the
findings of the Krever commission and the findings of a human rights
tribunal on pay equity will respond to any finding by that so-called
independent body when it has ignored the findings of every other independent
inquiry the country has had? 

Hon. Herb Gray (Deputy Prime Minister, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, the hon. member
is quite wrong in the premise of his question, as usual. 

The government has not ignored the findings of these other commissions. It
has taken them very seriously. 

I want to say that the commission is not a “so-called independent
commission”. It is based on legislation presented by a previous Conservative
government that created the commission as an arm's length, independent
civilian body. And certainly the government will take very seriously the
report of this commission once it concludes its work. 

                                    *  *  *
...

[end]

  
********************************************************************************
  For more information on Parliamentarians for East Timor, Please Contact:      
  Sharon Scharfe, International Secretariat                                     
  Parliamentarians for East Timor                                               
  Suite 116, 5929-L Jeanne D'Arc Blvd., Orleans, ON  K1C 7K2  CANADA            
  Fax: 1-613-834-2021                                                           
  E-Mail:  pet at web.net

********************************************************************************