Hansard--Rewarding Disgraced Cabinet Minister Eggleton's Dodgy Ethics with Senate Appointment

Hansard: Question Period May 2, 05

Government Appointments

Mr. Peter Van Loan (York—Simcoe, CPC): Mr. Speaker, Art Eggleton was removed from cabinet for giving his girlfriend a questionable contract.

After losing his cabinet position, and then his seat in the House of Commons, Eggleton is now being rewarded with a comfy seat in the Senate.

Could this Prime Minister's ethics actually be worse than those of his predecessor?

How can we trust this Prime Minister to clean up the sponsorship scandal, if he continues to reward Liberals who break the rules?

Hon. Mauril Bélanger (Deputy Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Minister responsible for Official Languages, Minister responsible for Democratic Reform and Associate Minister of National Defence, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, the method for appointing senators is well known; it is a prerogative of the Prime Minister. The last time appointments were made to the Senate, they were made on the basis of merit.

In fact, for the first time, members of the Senate were appointed from opposition parties, such as the Conservatives and the NDP. I would therefore suggest that my hon. friends welcome their new colleagues as we did, with open arms.

[English]

Mr. Peter Van Loan (York—Simcoe, CPC): Mr. Speaker, the Liberal definition of marriage is different from any I have ever heard.

The biggest difference between the Prime Minister and his predecessor is that the Prime Minister sends disgraced cabinet ministers to the Senate
instead of Denmark.

He has endlessly been saying that Liberals implicated in the sponsorship scandal will be punished. If the Prime Minister awards Art Eggleton with a Senate appointment, is that the kind of punishment Liberal sponsorship offenders can look forward to?

How can Canadians trust the Prime Minister to deal with sponsorship wrongdoing when he rewards those who break the rules?

Hon. Mauril Bélanger (Deputy Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Minister responsible for Official Languages, Minister responsible for Democratic Reform and Associate Minister of National Defence, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, it is the same thing. The prerogative of appointing senators belongs to the Prime Minister. Appointments are done on merit.

In the recent series of appointments, members were appointed from the party opposite as well as the NDP.

I would suggest to the members that they welcome the new members, as we have welcomed them, with open arms. [. . . . ]

---