Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Stilborn, thank you for coming here to make your presentation. It was very interesting, but at times also troubling.
When you stress the indifference of Parliament to examining budget estimates, it calls to mind other presentations we have heard in which we have been told that scrutinizing expenses is the reason Parliament exists. If it is our role, but we are not fulfilling that role because we are not interested, we have a problem.
You say that members of Parliament are not provided with enough incentives to do this work conscientiously and to spend a lot of time on it. You also mention that it is not very glamorous politically. Yes, I have to confess that committee work is not the first thing my constituents want to talk to me about.
If there are insufficient incentives, what do you suggest to change that situation, that culture? You seem a little negative, a little pessimistic when you say: “In the committees, the estimates process will continue to be about looking for issues, rather than actually changing government spending.”
If there are not enough incentives, if government members cannot really criticize their own government and if opposition members are sitting here solely to sniff out scandals, what concrete changes are you suggesting?