Earnscliffe, Martin & Contracts
May 3.2005

Question Period

M. James Moore (Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam, CPC): Mr. Speaker, long time Liberal Warren Kinsella sent a memo in 1995 to the public works minister setting out $615,000 in government contracts that were given to the Prime Minister's friends at Earnscliffe in violation of cabinet guidelines.
David Herle, who was the Prime Minister's campaign manager, worked at Earnscliffe and received this money after the Prime Minister as finance minister insisted that David Herle and Earnscliffe receive the contracts.
The Prime Minister has two choices. He can rise in his place and admit that he directed cash to his friends or rise and call Warren Kinsella a liar. Which is it?

Hon. Ralph Goodale (Minister of Finance, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, there is nothing new in the allegations that the hon. gentleman has made. Just repeating them does not make them true. The fact of the matter is that all of the evidence on the public record indicates that the appropriate procedures at the time were indeed followed and that any intervention by the office of the former Minister of Finance was intended to increase competition and not decrease it.

M. James Moore (Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam, PCC): Mr. Speaker, with answers like that it is no wonder Bono has quit the Liberal Party.

[Français]

Selon M. Kinsella, ce premier ministre a accordé des contrats à ses amis, en particulier ses amis à Earnscliffe, dans les années 1990, comme Scott Reid qui est aujourd'hui son directeur des communications, et David Herle, le chef de sa campagne au leadership.
Comment le premier ministre peut-il continuer de jouer ce jeu jeux avec la vérité concernant l'octroi des contrat? Comment?

[English]

Hon. Ralph Goodale (Minister of Finance, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, when it comes to assessing the veracity of the Prime Minister compared to the other witness to whom the hon. gentleman refers, I will put my money on the Prime Minister every day of the week.