Thank you, Madam Chair.
I think it's important at the outset to clarify that we do have access to many cabinet documents, or what are considered cabinet confidence. We had a new order in council, in fact, in 2005 that clarified further our right of access to cabinet confidence.There are certain documents, though, that we recognize should remain confidential and that we have no need to see--for instance, recommendations to ministers and discussions that go on in cabinet meetings. But analysis that may be considered cabinet confidence, we should be able to have access to and see.
We obviously have to be careful with these documents as to how we disclose what is in them, but we see them normally as part of our audit work. I believe it is very important that we be able to assess the challenge function that is done by the central agencies, be it PCO or TBS. It is a very critical part of the process in almost any major decision that goes on. All we really wanted to see was whether it was actually done. Had there been a review? Had the questions been asked?
As we said, I think about half of the memoranda to cabinet make no mention of it. Well, why is that? Did nobody ask? Was gender-based analysis considered or not? All we wanted to see was that the analysis and challenge function had been done.
We were told that it was done but it was done verbally, and the only indication that it was done was in documents, the précis or other documents, to which we do not have access.
Personally, I find that hard to believe, and I find that not acceptable. I say even to senior people in Treasury Board or PCO, how do they know that their people are doing this if there's absolutely no documentation, not even an e-mail, about this?
So we think that there should be documentation. It does not have to be volumes and volumes, but simply notations on file about the kinds of questions that are being asked when reviewing these proposals. I would think that this would be a normal part of the way government should operate.
We can understand, and people have told us, that at times, for example budget proposals, timelines are very short and things are very compressed, and one of the reasons given is that it would make the process more cumbersome. I think to every general principle there can be exceptions, and documentation can occur after the fact, but I would certainly expect that kind of documentation to exist.