There you have it. A Conservative actually said:
Parliament is not an institution of management; Parliament is an institution of accountability. We're not here to run the government;
—as Opposition—
we're here to hold the government accountable for the way they run themselves.
That's a key principle. John Williams was a fine Edmontonian and a fine representative of his community and obviously very respectful of the role of accountability in Parliament, the role that members of Parliament play and the role of ministers being accountable.
The report goes on to say, on page 10 at the top:
While the organization of the ministry and the corresponding organization of portfolios is one of the defining responsibilities of the prime minister, Parliament plays a key role in the assignment of ministerial responsibility. In Canadian practice, departmental acts, which are passed by Parliament, characteristically set out a number of important provisions that help define ministerial responsibilities.
As we know, Bill C-47 here, which we want the minister to answer on, amends 51 acts of Parliament. Perhaps we should have the whole cabinet here through a series of meetings to hold themselves accountable for the parts of the acts they are responsible for in this bill.
Well, there was a promise, I am told. I was in private life back then, busy running a retail chain. I was in private life then, but in 2015 I understand that the now Prime Minister and then leader of the Liberal Party promised not to do these kinds of bills that take a budget bill and add in amendments to the Criminal Code, amendments to the oceans protection plan, and things that have nothing to do with the budget. He would never do that. Promise made, promise broken: That's what we've come to expect from this government.
This report from Treasury Board goes on to say on page 10 that “They”—they being the department, Parliament and ministry—"provide for the appointment of a minister; set out the powers, duties, and functions for which the minister is responsible; and give the minister responsibility for the overall direction and management of the department's financial and public service resources."
As we know from the Minister of Finance's mandate letter—and we know this only from the letter, because in the last six months we've been unable to get the minister to accept the invitation from the finance committee. Theoretically the minister's letter says, at least in print, that the minister is to be “accountable to Parliament both individually, for your style of leadership and the performance of your responsibilities, and collectively, in support of [the ministers]”. The minister is to be available to Parliament to answer questions. What a concept.
The Treasury Board report on ministerial responsibility goes on to say that, “Parliament has also approved the Financial Administration Act”. For those of you who don't know, that's the act that allows and sets out the parameters of how the government collects and spends money—how it collects and spends your money and, when they spend more than they collect from you, how they borrow money. It provides them with their credit card authority. That obviously is the responsibility of the Minister of Finance, the very heart of our issue here today. The report continues:
This Act is the cornerstone of the legal framework for general financial management and accountability of public service organizations. It describes the manner in which government spending may be approved, expenditures made, revenues obtained, and funds borrowed.
As I've said, it's almost as though I had read this before. Perhaps some of the ministers should have read it. The report continues:
It provides a procedure for the internal control of funds allocated to departments and agencies by Parliament and for the preparation of the Public Accounts of Canada, which contain the government's annual statement of revenues and expenditures.
The report goes on to say:
The Financial Administration Act assigns rights and duties to ministers and directly to deputy heads in relation to the organizations they manage. These rights and duties include the obligation for a deputy head to establish procedures and maintain records respecting the control of financial commitments chargeable to public funds;
Furthermore it states: ...the fact that only a minister or his or her delegate can request the issuance of a payment; and that before a payment is issued in return for work, goods, or services, the deputy of a minister (or another delegate) must certify that the work has been performed, the goods received, or the services rendered.
Ministers remain individually and collectively responsible for their statutory duties and accountable to Parliament...
A C C O U N T A B L E—that's how you spell the word “accountable”.