We all agree with the independence of the Auditor General. The minister agrees with it. The government agrees with it. I'm worried that we are going to get into, as I said before, an endless back-and-forth that further politicizes a committee that should be, at its core—and that was, up until very recently—non-partisan. This is the audit committee of the Parliament of Canada, or the House of Commons side. We have a responsibility to uphold that in every way possible, but if members on the opposite side wish to engage in pure partisanship, that's how things will go.
I could point to comments made by the Conservative leader in an article from last year. The article is titled “Federal AG’s office skewed contract, leaked reports to lobbyist”. That's the title. It's not the finding, but Conservative MPs were pointing to comments that are entirely partisan and hoping for that finding, it would seem. At the finance committee, the member who is now Conservative leader said, “it is not common for independent, non-partisan officers of Parliament to give untendered contracts to partisan lobbyists”.
The substance of the issue doesn't really matter, but where this is going, and I don't want it to go there.... This side could put forward a motion asking for the committee to condemn those comments. Is this where my Conservative colleagues want to go? I don't think so, but as a matter of principle.... Perhaps I see my colleague across the way nodding his head. Perhaps he would agree that two motions could be engaged on tonight. We could put a motion forward asking for this committee to condemn.... I see my friend in the NDP agreeing.
I don't want it to get to that point. I hope that Conservative colleagues agree, and that we can move on. With that in mind, I wonder if Mr. McCauley would withdraw his motion.
If he doesn't, we'll keep discussing it, because I've had the pleasure and honour of working with the Minister of National Revenue as her parliamentary secretary for almost a year now, and I find her to be someone who's not just a compassionate person. She proved that again today in her comments at the press conference. She has proven that throughout her career as a social worker and as Canada's second-longest-serving minister of national revenue. To try to disparage the reputation of someone like that, I don't think is appropriate at all.
Again, we can end up going back and forth in a committee that should be entirely non-partisan, with a competing motion. We can do that. I don't think that would be appropriate, though. We can end it here.