Edited Hansard • Number 197
Monday, June 3, 2002
ORAL QUESTION PERIOD
[Hansard – Page 12041]
Mr. Garry Breitkreuz (Yorkton—Melville, Canadian Alliance): Mr. Speaker, before Sunday, Saturday was not going very well for the Prime Minister either.
The Ottawa Citizen ran a four page exposé by Graham Green, providing a blow by blow account of the Shawinigate file under a banner headline “Double Standard”.
The Citizen editorial said of the Prime Minister that it was “Time To Go”.
The only question for the Prime Minister is, is he going to sue the Ottawa Citizen or was the article correct in its conclusion? Again I quote: “He lied”.
The Speaker: The hon. member will want to withdraw those words. He cannot say indirectly what he cannot say directly. I invite him to withdraw the words at once.
Mr. Garry Breitkreuz: Mr. Speaker, I was quoting the Ottawa Citizen.
Some hon. members: Withdraw.
The Speaker: I do not care. The hon. member cannot do indirectly what he cannot do directly. He must withdraw the words. I invite him to do so immediately.
Mr. Garry Breitkreuz: I am sorry, Mr. Speaker. I withdraw.
The Speaker: Does the right hon. Prime Minister wish to respond to the question?
Right Hon. Jean Chrétien (Prime Minister, Lib.): With pleasure, Mr. Speaker, because this file is extremely well known. The reality is that 20 jobs were created in my riding where we had 18% unemployment. The loan was made six years ago and the loan is still in operation, so it is a sign that the risk was pretty good if the payments are still made after six years.