I've actually read those reports and they're not as consistent across the board, year to year. This would be providing a requirement for CMHC to report those numbers exactly, using these four metrics right here.
Time and again, you've heard me at committee ask officials, and the CEO of CMHC.... Then I asked the Department of Finance officials about that $100,000 number, about shared equity mortgages. Nobody could really figure out where it was coming from, until I asked the question at the public accounts committee. I finally did get an answer from the CEO on where they got the number. That's why, on these numbers, I want it reported back.
I'll also remind you of the Auditor General's fall report, which lambasted the government for being concerned only with big dollar amounts as achievements. The Auditor General's report, which was an across government look, accused the government of measuring success by dollars shovelled out the door. If we're going to shovel money out the door in the vast volumes the government is intent on right now, I think the minimum we could ask is that they report back on what they did with the money, beyond just press releases and pretty documents that are really marketing documents the CMHC and others do.
This would be a required amount of information on the NHS, so that we have it, as parliamentarians, and every document tabled in the House of Commons gets that sessional paper number. It's extremely easy to find thereafter through the Library of Parliament. Otherwise, it's quite difficult.
Government documents on Crown corporation websites routinely get taken down. I know this because I have come across broken links from older documents that are no longer available. I think this is the minimum requirement, things like, “unit upgraded, renovated and modernized”.
We saw a fiasco with one of your parliamentary secretaries inflating the numbers, for which she was called out. This would avoid that situation. It would provide clarity to all members of Parliament, regardless of party. Then we would know what's going on, and there would not be a reliance on what I call marketing documents, which may or may not have that information within them. More transparency is always a good thing.
(Amendment negatived [See Minutes of Proceedings])
(Clause 313 as amended agreed to)
(Clause 314 agreed to on division)