Parliamentary Question Period and the TPA Revelations
(Editor's Note: These questions and responses, dealing with the Toronto Port Authority, were made Thursday and Friday of last week in the Canadian Parliament.)
Ms. Olivia Chow (Trinity—Spadina, NDP) Mr. Speaker, two months ago, I asked the Minister of Transport to release all expenses incurred by the Minister of Natural Resources when she was the CEO of the Toronto Port Authority. Some $81,000 of her expenses were released, but there was no mention of $50,000 fancy lunches on the taxpayers' dime.
Why is the minister hiding these illegal expenses from the public and this Parliament? Did the guests at these fancy lunches help with her election? What other scandalous cover-ups are there?
Hon. John Baird (Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, CPC
Mr. Speaker, what is scandalous are the remarks made by the member for Trinity—Spadina
Through access to information all this information has been made available to the public. The Toronto Port Authority has said many times that its expense and hospitality policies were followed. The board has since stated that management and staff clearly followed all these policies. The president of the audit committee has spoken to that. I do find the comments of the member opposite rather regrettable.
Mr. Charlie Angus (Timmins—James Bay, NDP): Mr. Speaker, the Toronto Port Authority is a swamp of sleeze and corruption.
We are now learning that the board was rewriting minutes of their meetings while rubber-stamping dodgy receipts.
What a perfect training ground for our own ethically challenged Minister of Natural Resources. She used the crown agency to troll for political donations. She covered up expenses while dining out like aristocracy on the taxpayers' dime.
The Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities could have cleaned house but instead he played along.
Will the government finally rein in these rogue ministers?
Mr. Pierre Poilievre (Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and to the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, CPC): Mr. Speaker, this government brought in the toughest anti-corruption law in Canadian history. It is called the Federal Accountability Act. It limits political contributions; it protects whistleblowers; it makes the system more transparent; and, it adds roughly 20 additional organizations to access to information.
This was a positive step for accountability and transparency in Canada. On this side of the House and indeed right across Canada people are proud of that Act.
Mr. Charlie Angus (Timmins—James Bay, NDP): Mr. Speaker, they do not call it the pork authority for nothing.
The Tories interfered with the election of the chair of the board. They fired people who asked tough questions and replaced them with bagmen and pals.
Why would that be? So that the Minister of Natural Resources could use the private list to troll for cash. So they could use the board to dump their buddies into the positions of power.
I say this to the government. It is busted. Fess and apologize to the people of Toronto.
Mr. Pierre Poilievre (Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and to the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, CPC): Mr. Speaker, the Toronto Port Authority is an arm's-length organization. The TPA has said many times that all expenses and hospitality policies were followed.
The board has since stated that management and staff clearly followed all of these policies.
The chairman of the audit committee stated that there was nothing unusual in these expenses for a business of this size.
Ms. Olivia Chow (Trinity—Spadina, NDP) Mr. Speaker, two months ago, I asked the Minister of Transport to release all expenses incurred by the Minister of Natural Resources when she was the CEO of the Toronto Port Authority. Some $81,000 of her expenses were released, but there was no mention of $50,000 fancy lunches on the taxpayers' dime.
Why is the minister hiding these illegal expenses from the public and this Parliament? Did the guests at these fancy lunches help with her election? What other scandalous cover-ups are there?
Hon. John Baird (Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, CPC
Mr. Speaker, what is scandalous are the remarks made by the member for Trinity—Spadina
Through access to information all this information has been made available to the public. The Toronto Port Authority has said many times that its expense and hospitality policies were followed. The board has since stated that management and staff clearly followed all these policies. The president of the audit committee has spoken to that. I do find the comments of the member opposite rather regrettable.
Mr. Charlie Angus (Timmins—James Bay, NDP): Mr. Speaker, the Toronto Port Authority is a swamp of sleeze and corruption.
We are now learning that the board was rewriting minutes of their meetings while rubber-stamping dodgy receipts.
What a perfect training ground for our own ethically challenged Minister of Natural Resources. She used the crown agency to troll for political donations. She covered up expenses while dining out like aristocracy on the taxpayers' dime.
The Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities could have cleaned house but instead he played along.
Will the government finally rein in these rogue ministers?
Mr. Pierre Poilievre (Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and to the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, CPC): Mr. Speaker, this government brought in the toughest anti-corruption law in Canadian history. It is called the Federal Accountability Act. It limits political contributions; it protects whistleblowers; it makes the system more transparent; and, it adds roughly 20 additional organizations to access to information.
This was a positive step for accountability and transparency in Canada. On this side of the House and indeed right across Canada people are proud of that Act.
Mr. Charlie Angus (Timmins—James Bay, NDP): Mr. Speaker, they do not call it the pork authority for nothing.
The Tories interfered with the election of the chair of the board. They fired people who asked tough questions and replaced them with bagmen and pals.
Why would that be? So that the Minister of Natural Resources could use the private list to troll for cash. So they could use the board to dump their buddies into the positions of power.
I say this to the government. It is busted. Fess and apologize to the people of Toronto.
Mr. Pierre Poilievre (Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and to the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, CPC): Mr. Speaker, the Toronto Port Authority is an arm's-length organization. The TPA has said many times that all expenses and hospitality policies were followed.
The board has since stated that management and staff clearly followed all of these policies.
The chairman of the audit committee stated that there was nothing unusual in these expenses for a business of this size.
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