Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to speak on this motion and to give the viewpoint of the Official Opposition on the motion of the member for North Island-Powell River.
I want to say right away that we do support this motion. We support it because it involves taxpayers' money and also the proper management of the equipment made available to elected members.
The motion presented by the member for North Island-Powell River refers to sound management, to transfer when an election is held and recovery if any furniture, supplies and equipment for which the member is responsible while in office and which belong to the House disappear. Remember that if it belongs to the House, it belongs to all taxpayers.
This motion reminds us of how difficult it is to draw up a permanent list of property for an institution such as the House of Commons where the political staff changes very regularly, every four or five years.
Although an inventory for all office equipment belonging to the House has existed since 1977, according to information obtained from Materiel Management, more than 90 of the 205 new members elected last fall reported significant discrepancies between the inventory report of what they should have received and what they actually received. It is disturbing that 90 of the 205 newcomers do not have the equipment exactly as it is listed on the inventory. We are entitled to ask questions and the member for North Island-Powell River, who tabled the motion, is right to raise the issue.
As early as April, several Canadian newspapers reported that equipment like video systems, televisions, faxes and furniture had disappeared from the House since the last election in October 1993. For example, La Presse for April 13 reported that Commons staff were trying to find television sets, VCRs, computers, cellular telephones, faxes and furniture belonging to the government, on the basis of information obtained directly from Materiel Management. We know that this includes equipment which is not easy to put in one's coat pocket.
Nevertheless, we must not conclude too hastily that theft or fraud is involved, as some people might be inclined to do. According to our information, it is very difficult to prove that former members really intended to steal. As proof, almost all the missing items were recovered, the member will be glad to know, by the staff of Materiel Management and the non-recovered items were charged to the members who were responsible for them.
There are many difficulties in drawing up a reliable inventory of House property and they have nothing to do with the honesty of members. For one, Materiel Management is not always informed promptly of changes to members' inventory during their term and also it is often difficult to transfer property from the riding office of a defeated member to the new member's office, given the rivalry between them.
Also, some items from the riding office, including laptop computers, cellular telephones and video systems, are left in the defeated member's Ottawa office, no doubt in the belief that the newly elected member will occupy the same premises on the Hill, which is not necessarily the case.
The honour system of assigning responsibility for inventory to members has its advantages but also disadvantages, let us admit. The Bloc Quebecois is fully aware of the importance of protecting all property, both in members' riding offices and in their Ottawa offices, since it belongs to the House of Commons and is paid for with taxpayers' money.
With this in mind, we can only support Private Member's Motion 290, which suggests strengthening-do you agree?-the measures for auditing equipment inventories. I do not hear the member say that he agrees. Is something wrong? I was saying that the member's motion suggests strengthening the measures for auditing equipment inventories, furniture and so on, and the responsibilities of every member for this property-and it is important because we manage the taxpayers' money-in order to protect public property. We agree.
Nevertheless, several of the measures suggested in the motion already exist, we must admit. For several years, a physical audit of all the premises occupied by members of Parliament in Ottawa has been done annually.
And an electronic inventory, which uses bar codes, makes it easier to control and protect this property. Until quite recently, always according to Materiel Management, there was a major problem, which has now been identified. It was the issue of furnishings in riding offices.
We have to realize exactly where the problem is, and it seems it is particularly serious in riding offices. In fact, because of a lack of staff, Materiel Management was unable to check its inventories of furnishings in riding offices. I support the hon. member's motion, and I can inform government members that the problem has been identified. The problem was in the ridings, and there was not enough staff to keep track.
Now that there is more staff, there is a more effective relationship based on trust and co-operation between Materiel Management and the riding offices. This is a definite improvement, and we appreciate the efforts of those concerned.
A materiel policy is about to be put in place. It was in fact discussed on the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs. The policy is almost ready to be implemented, and we are talking about the beginning of the next session. We hope it will be put in place by the Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, which discussed and approved the implementation of this policy.
This policy on furnishings basically contains the main elements of the hon. member's motion, Motion 290, which asks us to be efficient, effective and responsible managers, because the furnishings and equipment we have are, in the final instance, provided by the taxpayers.