April. 13, 2005: Hansard. Volpe takes another swipe at Grewal in the house

Mr. Rahim Jaffer (Edmonton—Strathcona, CPC): Mr. Speaker, here is what senior Liberal organizer Beryl Wajsman said in Le Devoir about what the Liberal Party really thinks about ethnic minorities: “The Liberal Party of Canada needs the cultural communities only for two purposes, as slaves during an electoral campaign, or to buy tickets”.

The Prime Minister claims that he has the moral authority. How can he explain the immoral contempt his party has for new Canadians?

Hon. Joseph Volpe (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, that is really quite a twist. I guess being one of those new Canadians and a minister of the crown qualifies me as being held in contempt.

I think the only contempt that I feel is that which the Leader of the Opposition indicated toward one of his own members yesterday, when on a point of order he took the opportunity to identify the $50,000 that his member from Newton—North Delta charges his constituents in order to write me a letter and the Leader of the Opposition referred to that as criminal activity.