Evidence of meeting #7 for Government Operations and Estimates in the 39th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was transaction.
A recording is available from Parliament.
5 p.m.
Conservative
Chris Warkentin Conservative Peace River, AB
So in your estimation, our public service can be looking forward to better working conditions in the years to come.
5 p.m.
Liberal
Omar Alghabra Liberal Mississauga—Erindale, ON
Thank you, Chair.
Minister, since we have you here, I want to ask you a couple of questions that are off topic.
Can you tell us when the public appointment commissioner will be appointed? Is that under the Accountability Act?
5 p.m.
Minister of Public Works and Government Services
I usually know.... It's not me.
5:05 p.m.
Liberal
Omar Alghabra Liberal Mississauga—Erindale, ON
Okay. Here's another question. It's about polling. Your party was very interested in polling and made a pledge during the last campaign that accused the previous government of squandering taxpayers' money on partisan polling. I think you were surprised--in fact, that's what the parliamentary secretary said in the House--when you found out how much money your government had spent on polling. Why would you be surprised when you manage the department? Then there was also the issue of a moratorium or no moratorium.
Can you take us through this? How did it happen, and what's going on?
5:05 p.m.
Minister of Public Works and Government Services
Well, let's deal with the polling. As Mr. Moore said in the House, and as I stated, we are concerned about the amount of spending that takes place in different departments. All of this was transparent. It was in the report that was tabled ten days ago, so you've got the ventilation there in terms of the different departments. That is a lot of money. We understand, and I think you understand as well, that some departments need to understand whether their programs are meeting the objectives for which they were set. But we have concerns collectively about the number of polls and the amount of money being spent on these polls by departments--and I repeat, by departments. That deals with the first part.
As I indicated in the Senate, we haven't decided whether there's going to be a moratorium or not, and when we're ready to announce the different measures that will address the issue you raised, we'll obviously communicate those measures. But we are concerned about the situation and we'll address it very shortly.
5:05 p.m.
Liberal
Omar Alghabra Liberal Mississauga—Erindale, ON
You would agree with me that Canadians find it bizarre, the fact that during the campaign the Prime Minister made a big issue out of this, and then we find out that you overspent the previous government.
Is it a practice that every poll conducted by each department is authorized by the minister responsible for that department?
5:05 p.m.
Minister of Public Works and Government Services
First of all, your preamble is incorrect. I was chairing our campaign, and I can tell you our commitment. You can go and read it. Our commitment in the campaign manifesto was about addressing the concerns raised by the Auditor General in 2003 and 2005 about certain contracts that had been signed between your colleagues and certain companies in the private sector, which appeared to her to lack the basic contractual clauses or to not even exist. So I would suggest that if you look at our campaign promise, this is what it was directed towards.
What was your second question?
5:05 p.m.
Liberal
Omar Alghabra Liberal Mississauga—Erindale, ON
That was the only question I had. You wanted to ramble on...I don't know.
I was asking, doesn't every poll require the minister's approval?
5:05 p.m.
Minister of Public Works and Government Services
It's made at the departmental level. It depends on the department; it depends on the amount of money involved and the--
5:05 p.m.
Liberal
Omar Alghabra Liberal Mississauga—Erindale, ON
Mr. Moore said in the House, “We respond to bureaucracies' requests. When they come and ask us for polling, we say, okay, go ahead and do it. Then all of a sudden we find out that we've exceeded last year's polling numbers, and they seem to be really”--
5:05 p.m.
Conservative
James Moore Conservative Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam, BC
I don't think that was an exact quote. If it is, I need to get into a new gig.
5:05 p.m.
Voices
Oh, oh!
5:05 p.m.
Liberal
Omar Alghabra Liberal Mississauga—Erindale, ON
I'm obviously not quoting you verbatim, but you understand what the substance of your response was, and it was to what I just said. That was what you said.
5:05 p.m.
Conservative
James Moore Conservative Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam, BC
Mr. Alghabra, I never said that. Have a late show and try.
5:05 p.m.
Minister of Public Works and Government Services
Why don't you ask the deputy how these polls are conducted? We did, as you probably noticed in my own department. It was de minimis. Perhaps you want the deputy to--
5:05 p.m.
Liberal
Omar Alghabra Liberal Mississauga—Erindale, ON
No, it's okay. I would rather have this conversation with you.
The fascinating thing is that all the polls that were conducted are in areas where the Conservatives appear to be really weak, like issues of immigration, environment, status of women. So forgive me for being skeptical about the political intentions of those pollings. I think I'm in my place to ask you these questions on behalf of Canadians when they are seeing that amount of money spent on issues on which the Conservatives appear to be really weak.
What kinds of mechanisms are you putting in place to ensure that these pollings, if they're contracted out, are done for the public good?
5:05 p.m.
Minister of Public Works and Government Services
Well, as I said earlier, when we table the measures we're proposing to implement, which we'll do very shortly, you will see the measures that are being proposed.
5:05 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Diane Marleau
Thank you very much. Your five minutes are up.
I'll go to Mr. Moore.