Thank you for inviting me to speak to you today. I want to make a brief opening statement, and then I look forward to your questions and comments.
For some years I have observed the House of Commons committee system and the attempts to reform and improve it. Many people, both inside and outside Parliament, argue that committees are the places where the role of the individual MP can best be enhanced. However, I have often argued that many of these same observers have inflated and unrealistic expectations of what Commons committees can reasonably accomplish in our system of representation.
More recently, I have concerned myself with this particular committee, and I was asked to write a report for the Gomery commission on the PAC. In that report, I argued that the public accounts committee labours under the same constraints faced by other standing committees--constraints that all of you know very well, I'm sure. These constraints include high membership turnover, particularly between parliaments; the seemingly random assignment of members to committees that maybe do not match their interests; and highly competent but modest staff and resources.
I often feel that discussions of our overall system of accountability do not fully recognize that the PAC is just one of many standing committees in the House of Commons. Like all committees, its members must deal with multiple responsibilities and commitments. MPs have many roles, and committee work is just one of them. However, the PAC is a special case and is not like other committees. It has unique opportunities and also unique burdens. It has unparalleled responsibility to inquire into and investigate matters of public finance and administration, rooted deeply in ancient traditions of parliamentary scrutiny.
Yet the PAC is not always a desirable assignment for most MPs. Many members aspire to so-called policy committees, where they feel they can make more of a difference. Their focus is prospective, on future policies, not retrospective, on administration. This is perhaps understandable, but unfortunate.
Furthermore, the public accounts committee does not have much in the way of specialized research expertise for its investigations. Instead, it is highly dependent on the reports of the Auditor General of Canada for its work--indeed, for most of its agenda. This concerns me. Relations between the AG and committee seem generally good, but, like many observers, I fear that the Auditor General has supplanted much of the traditional scrutiny role of Parliament in this regard.
I'd be glad to speak more on these matters and further share my opinions on them. However, as an outside observer, I do not want to spend my time in these opening remarks telling you things that perhaps you already know. Thus I will conclude my opening remarks here and be pleased to take your questions later on.
Thank you.