Bill C-2 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I wish the committee all the best in the exercises you've begun.

Bill C-2 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  No. Perhaps I was not clear.

Bill C-2 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  Thank you, Mr. Petit. Regarding your last question, I agree with you about removal by way of a secret ballot. It is almost equally as uncommon to see nominations by secret ballot. I would say that there are two aspects. First of all, it is true that a secret ballot gives some freedom of action to the person voting.

Bill C-2 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  It is not my job to interpret this aspect of the role of the Parliamentary Budget Officer. As members, you may always ask the Library of Parliament Parliamentary Information and Research Service to provide you with an approximate cost assessment of any bill. This service is already available to you up to a certain point.

Bill C-2 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  If a private members' bill involves the spending of public money, that bill can survive until third reading, but if, after that stage, the bill fails to obtain the support of a minister in order to obtain a royal recommendation, that is it. The Speaker will then rule the bill out of order because it violates the Constitution and the Standing Orders.

Bill C-2 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  I'm sure you understood correctly. I am proposing to expand the mandate of the Parliamentary Budget Officer to include the systematic long-term analysis of government estimates, which are tabled before March 1st of every year. I am talking about all the estimates for a given year, including supplementary estimates which are tabled in the fall.

Bill C-2 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  I'd be glad to do that, Mr. Moore. Beyond just expanding the mandate of the parliamentary budget officer, you would have to do some tinkering with the Standing Orders in terms of powers of committees, particularly the government operations committee, and I'll get back to that in a moment.

Bill C-2 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  It was an immigration bill under Speaker Fraser, I believe, in 1988. First, splitting an omnibus bill is the decision of the government. It's a political and policy decision as to how it's packaged, and it remains a political decision as to whether it will be split. The House may agree to split a bill or send two parts to different committees.

Bill C-2 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  I recall something about the cruelty to animals bill. I think that was a multi-party decision; it certainly wasn't a decision by the Speaker.

Bill C-2 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  I think the decision of having a secret ballot is a matter of policy, and I can understand the reasons behind it in terms of trying to maybe take out the party leadership influence--diminish the party discipline--allowing the member to make a more individual choice than a party choice.

Bill C-2 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  The best vote for a parliamentary officer is no vote at all. I think that's what needs to be achieved through the consultations, where there is massive support for an officer, confidence expressed. I had the privilege of serving not only as Clerk of the House but as Privacy Commissioner at a time of crisis in the privacy commission, and it was unanimous decisions of the party.

Bill C-2 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  According to my reading of the bill, the Parliamentary Budget Officer could analyze private members' bills. I did not see his role going as far as assessing the costs or conducting financial analyses of government bills. Having read that, I have a better understanding as to why there are requests for analysis of private members' bills.

Bill C-2 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  Yes, I can, very briefly, and I will give you the same response I would give to the Speaker asking for my advice. Procedurally, omnibus bills have been part of our parliamentary culture for a long time. Many arguments are made as to why they should be split, and sometimes they're made to the Speaker.

Bill C-2 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  Mr. Sauvageau, I am not trying to avoid answering your question, but several aspects of this bill are outside of my area of expertise and my experience. I would go no further than what I already said. To my mind, one of the problems with the bill is the decision to enshrine the secret ballot in law.

Bill C-2 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  When beginning my presentation, I begged the indulgence of the committee. This is an example of a question that is way beyond my field of expertise. Is it desirable for the bill to cover such matters? I believe that is a matter of government policy. It is a question of scope. I am not prepared to say whether it is desirable or not.