Mr. Speaker, I am almost amused by what the previous speaker said. One would think that he is a Conservative defending the Conservatives' record. Basically, he is defending the status quo, when it has been proven that the status quo does not work. They tell us about the Public Accounts Committee. The proof that it does not work is the situation we are in.
How can one claim that this committee, which does indeed exist, will be effective, when it was not effective in the past?
Furthermore, according to the Auditor General of Canada, only 18 per cent of programs are evaluated, as the hon. member for Rivière-du-Loup reminded us just now. So how can you defend the status quo if you do not even take the trouble to evaluate what is being done?
I have the impression that the Auditor General's report and role may have more to do with discovering mismanagement and horrors and not so much to do with the effectiveness of programs; the proof is that they are not evaluated.
I am very surprised and I would like the previous speaker to explain to me why, at the very beginning of a new mandate and a new government, they are defending the previous government's policies so much.