They got to talk scandal at the final debate for the Delta federal election candidates.
It was a packed room at the Coast Tsawwassen Inn Wednesday morning for the Probus Club of South Delta’s event which had Liberal incumbent Carla Qualtrough, Conservative Tanya Corbet, New Democrat Randy Anderson-Fennell and Green candidate Craig DeCraene participate.
The People’s Party of Canada’s Angelina Ireland and independents Tony Bennett and Amarit Bains were not asked by Probus to participate.
The candidates got to answer a series of questions, many having been asked at prior debates, that were submitted to them in advance, as well as a few from the floor.
One of the questions from the floor that clearly piqued the interest of the audience was how the candidates felt about the SNC-Lavalin affair.
Qualtrough explained that she worked hard with former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould on updating the government’s laws and administrative practices when it comes to corporate wrongdoing. For a year they worked on the file, having consultations and attending a senate hearing, in order to broaden a so-called “integrity regime”.
It culminated in a new law to hold corporations into account, but she wasn’t made aware of what else took place.
“I can tell you as somebody who sat at the table, I’ve never had any knowledge of, or even a hint, there was a feeling by my colleague that pressure was being exerted upon her. If I had, I would have gone to the prime minister. I would have supported my colleague,” Qualtrough said.
“I’m really sorry this all happened. I really wish the prime minister had been paying more attention. I do understand his inclination to fight for jobs, but clearly there should have been an eye on this way earlier than it was. I completely accept the ethics commissioner’s findings. I can tell you there’s things many of us know, many of us who stayed and who knew things the rest of the world doesn’t, and chose to stay in this government. It’s not because we’re ‘Yes Ministers’ or don’t have personal integrity, but because we know all the facts.
“Listen, would I have liked to have seen this gone down differently? Of course. Do I accept the ethics commissioner’s findings? Of course. Do I absolutely trust Justin Trudeau? Yes, I do. I can tell you, he’s not perfect but he’s a very good prime minister.”
Corbet said she’s been hearing from people during the campaign that they’re frustrated about the Liberals’ broken promises and scandals, as well as the current lack of accountability.
“The SNC-Lavalin scandal affair was a major breach in ethics and the pressure placed on Jody Wilson-Raybould was not only unethical, it was illegal. The Liberals, including my opponent, were quick to make excuses for the prime minister’s behaviors. In doing so, she also stayed on the side of corruption and these are not the actions of an ethical government.” said Corbet.
“The part of the story that really bothers me most was that they had a strong Indigenous leader in cabinet but then failed to listen to her when she told them that what they were doing was wrong. That’s why the Conservative government has committed that we will implement a no more cover-ups act to allow the RCMP to access information, protected by cabinet confidence by making applications to the Supreme Court of Canada. This will prevent corrupt politicians from hiding behind cabinet confidence to escape police investigations,” she said.
DeCraene said all governments in Canada seemed to have their ethical challenges, from Jean Chretien’s sponsorship scandal to Stephen Harper’s Duffey affair, and now Trudeau has the SNC-Lavalin affair. Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion in a report found Trudeau contravened the Conflict of Interest Act through attempts to influence then Justice Minister Wilson‑Raybould to reach an agreement with SNC-Lavalin to avoid criminal prosecution, a report that DeCraene noted shines a harsh light of the inner workings of the prime minister’s office where a powerful corporation has easy access.
He said his party is committed to honest, caring and ethical leadership.
Anderson-Fennell said his government would take immediate steps to boost accountability and end big money influence inside government.
“Canadians understand that our conflict of interest regime needs to be strong, comprehensive and pose real penalties when politicians break the rules. Instead, under the Liberals, we’ve see one violation after another…the rule of law has to be free from political interference. Unfortunately, the attempts to interfere in the case of SNC-Lavalin have made it clear that the Liberal government has one set of rules for the well-connected and another set of rules for the rest of us,” he said.
Anderson-Fennell noted his government would immediately launch an independent public inquiry into the actions of Trudeau’s office and would also prohibit corporations facing criminal charges from lobbying elected officials.
Among the other questions the candidates answered was the federal government’s role to resolve the George Massey Tunnel replacement issue.
Corbet, noting her party leader Andrew Scheer has already made it an infrastructure priority, despite the Liberals trying to spread misinformation, said the provincial government turned its back on Delta when it killed the previous bridge project. It took Qualtrough two years to write a letter and to see the issue was a major concern for residents, she said
Qualtrough said she took exception to the suggestion she wasn’t on top of it, noting she’s been dealing with the issue from the start, meeting every interest group as well as the province in an effort to move the project forward.
She said she even brought the federal infrastructure minister out to Delta to meet the mayor and tour the site, adding Trudeau when visiting Delta during the campaign assured that federal dollars are available once the province makes up its mind on an option.
The election takes place Oct. 21.
