Mr. Speaker, speaking to Bill C-216 today, I lend my cautious support to the bill on the basis that if passed it will genuinely represent a commitment to open and accountable government.
It is not often that a representative of the New Democratic Party would possibly be supporting something put forward by the Reform Party. Politics is a complex game in which there are no definitive answers, only winners and losers. This is unfortunate. This is why I am pleased to see two parties with opposing views possibly coming together on this issue.
I believe I am speaking for many members of the House when I say it is nice to see the Reform Party put forward responsible and intelligent suggestions. It would be nice to see the Reform members focus more energy on issues relevant to the country as a whole and less time on flag throwing, redundant nit-picking and issues which make the voters identify Reformers as nothing more than comic relief in the House. We have great responsibilities, responsibilities beyond performing as the court jesters of Parliament.
With regard to Bill C-216, I support in large part three particular points put forward by the Reform member.
First, the Access to Information Act is intended to increase and enhance public confidence in government by opening it up to scrutiny. It is an indispensable means of ensuring that government is as transparent as is reasonably possible and prudent.
Second, Bill C-216 will improve the freedom of information. It will expose and deter extravagance and waste and make crown corporations more open and accountable to the public. Open government means not only opening the finances of government to the people but also conducting the affairs of government above board.
Third, Bill C-216 will make citizens better able to judge the performance of their governments and make more informed voters. The guarantee of public access to government documents is indispensable in the long run for any democratic society.
To highlight the issue for those who are not as familiar with the bill and/or do not have the information at their disposal, I will briefly outline both its nature and purpose.
Bill C-216 will make crown corporations subject to the Access to Information Act. Crown corporation as defined by the Financial Administration Act means a parent crown corporation or wholly owned subsidiary. This in essence is added to the definition of government institution in section 3 of the Access to Information Act which formerly read “government institution means any department or ministry of state of the Government of Canada listed in schedule I or any body or office listed in schedule I”.
Under Bill C-216 this will read “government institution means any department or ministry of state of the Government of Canada listed in schedule I, any body or office listed in schedule I, or any crown corporation as defined in the Financial Administration Act”.
Among the crown corporations which are currently exempt from the Access to Information Act are the Canada Post Corporation, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the Canadian National Railway Company and the Canadian Wheat Board.
I want to say a few words about the CBC. I will be careful in my comments, because I think the service provided by the CBC is very good, but we must ensure that it can continue to provide such good service and to be accountable to Canadians at the same time. I will end my comments on that note.