moved for leave to introduce Bill C-221, an act establishing the office of ombudsman and amending acts in consequence thereof.
Mr. Speaker, the purpose of this act is to establish the institution of a federal ombudsman. This would be an independent and non-partisan officer of this Parliament who would supervise the administration, deal with specific complaints from the public against the administrative injustice and the maladministration and who would have the power to investigate, criticize and publicize but not to reverse administrative action.
A federal ombudsman with his or her wide powers of investigation, which is something we as MPs do not have, would be able to handle the flow of complaints for which parliamentary procedure is less suitable and to strengthen the present system at its weak point.
Furthermore, a federal ombudsman would be the servant of Parliament and answerable to it alone.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed.)