Mr. Speaker, by choosing not to air my picture during the apology, as they did for the original story, it would not have left the same impression with the public. Rather than making a simple and clear admission that they were wrong, Focus North chose to proceed their retraction with comments that made the apology superficial, at best. It appeared that Focus North was trying to leave room for doubt. I would have hoped that journalistic integrity, if not the wisdom that comes with maturity to admit sincerely when one is wrong, would have required a more convincing apology. Perhaps, apologies are too embarrassing in the television business. In any event, Mr. Speaker, my comments today are intended to correct any false impression that may have been left as a result of Focus North's shoddy reporting. As well, not everyone watches every episode of that program. I want to make it clear that the allegations and the insinuations made were not justified and not true.
While I was a Member of Cabinet, and in all my dealings with the House, I placed a priority on conducting myself with honesty and candidness, which caused much criticism to be directed my way. I wish all members of the northern media would make a concerted effort to be conscientious of determining the facts before spreading rumours to the public. Thank you.
---Applause