Absolutely. That's why I began by apologizing to 480,000 public servants on behalf of the official opposition. Canadians will make up their own minds, Mr. Chair, when they read the clippings and see the quotes. Trust me, they will, and they already have.
Ministers, I'd like to read for you this definition. This is the definition in the Canadian Oxford Dictionary of the word “contempt”, because this is what we're here to deal with today and tomorrow and Friday.
For the first time in Canadian history, your government—the first of 13 minority governments to do so in this country's history—is now on a slippery slope to potentially being found in contempt by this committee, so let me just read for you the definition of “contempt”: “a feeling that a person or a thing is beneath consideration or worthless, or deserving scorn or extreme reproach”.
Ministers, I want to ask this. In the context of the definition of the word “contempt”, why is it that it took a gun to the head of your government to force you to appear here today and do a document dump? For more than four months, reasonable Canadians have been watching this drama unfold, not knowing why your government refused to comply with motion after motion after motion and only complied after you were brought to heel by the Speaker in a ruling with respect to Afghan documents, and then subsequently brought to heel two more times: one with respect to your colleague, the Minister of International Cooperation, and another with respect to actually telling the truth to Canadians about the costs.
It's their money, Ministers. We're asking them to eat these costs. I'm sure we have our differences, Ministers, on your approach to law and order. I'm sure we have our differences with respect to Newt Gingrich's views on where we should be going with Republican law and order stuff. I'm sure we do, but I'm sure we would also agree—at least I thought we could agree—that from an accountability perspective, you wouldn't have waited four months to be dragged in here and drop—what is it?—1,000 pages of material on Canadians just 18 minutes before this committee starts, Mr. Chair--18 minutes.
I mean, what is it with this regime, Ministers, that each and every time...? Now, for the first time in Canadian history, you are on the slippery slope to being found in contempt by the people of Canada, through the people who represent them in the House of Commons.
Just before you comment, I'd like to read for you the actual quote from Mr. Harper, when he said:
Without adequate access to key information about government policies and programs, citizens and parliamentarians cannot make informed decisions, and...
—here's the kicker—
...incompetent or corrupt governance can be hidden under a cloak of secrecy.
In the context of the definition of the word “contempt”, in the context of the comments made by your leader, Mr. Harper, and in the context of your conduct for the past four months, how is it possible Canadians are expected to believe that you are playing here in good faith, and how can they possibly trust the numbers that are forthcoming in this budget?