Evidence of meeting #19 for Public Accounts in the 40th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was reports.
A recording is available from Parliament.
4:20 p.m.
Liberal
Bonnie Crombie Liberal Mississauga—Streetsville, ON
Mr. Saxton, you have to trust the integrity of the committee. You have to trust your predecessors, your colleagues who sat on this committee prior to you, to have done the best job they could have done. I trust my predecessors who reviewed this report, who sat and cross-examined the witnesses.
It is the public accounts committee. We have to accept their findings. All we're going to do is correct typos, as far as I'm concerned.
4:20 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Shawn Murphy
Okay, I'm going to seek the attention of the committee.
The proposal is that the clerk, under the direction of the committee, write to each deputy minister to ask the deputy minister to provide us, within four weeks, with any facts--and you can underline the word “facts”--that have transpired since the tabling of the auditor's report that may be relevant before the public accounts committee concludes its report.
4:20 p.m.
Liberal
Yasmin Ratansi Liberal Don Valley East, ON
What are we proposing to do with the fax that arrived, then?
4:20 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Shawn Murphy
Well, you have it in front of you and you may want to consider it in your report.
4:20 p.m.
Liberal
Yasmin Ratansi Liberal Don Valley East, ON
So that's flexible. We're not making any decision on what we will do with that letter.
4:20 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Shawn Murphy
Oh, no. You can throw it in the garbage.
In my experience, the letter from the deputy minister.... They might make these grand statements that they intend to do this, and so on. Considering sometimes the speed of it, they'll be lucky to get it back in the four weeks.
I want to bring this to a conclusion.
All in favour of that concept?
This is turning out the way I feared. I was hoping it wouldn't.
All against that concept?
4:20 p.m.
A voice
It's tied, five and five.
4:20 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Shawn Murphy
I've consulted with the clerk, and it's my judgment that we're probably better off writing the letter. It will be very specific as to facts that have transpired with respect only to the contents of the respective audit reports. I don't see it being that earth-shattering. Those will be taken into consideration when the committee deliberates and finalizes the report, and those deputies will be given four weeks to respond.
Okay, let's move on, colleagues. We will go back in camera, first of all.
This meeting is suspended.
[Proceedings continue in camera]