Madam Speaker, I am pleased to join in this debate as it gives me an opportunity to add my support to those who recognize that there is absolutely nothing to be gained from an independent, politically motivated commission of inquiry as proposed by the official opposition.
We have been over this ground before. The opposition is a one trick pony on this file. We tell opposition members about the benefits that individual Canadians derive from HRDC programs, and they call for an inquiry. We tell them about how important HRDC programs are to strengthening the social fabric of the nation, something of which I am sure they know little, and they call for an inquiry. We read to them the letters and comments from Canadians from every part of Canada who support the government's approach to human resources development, and they call for an inquiry. Now we give them an opposition day to discuss the nation's business, and they call for an inquiry. That is the only line that party has.
The rest of us have moved on. Those of us on the government side have gone past inquiring. We are working on this issue. We have already agreed that problems were identified with the administration of HRDC grants and contributions. We have accepted that. We have already agreed that corrective action needed to be taken to address the problem. We are moving forward with the kinds of action that are needed to do just that. In fact, the government is taking this issue extremely seriously, as can be seen in the six point plan announced by the Minister of Human Resources Development in the House.
Let me quickly remind the House what the minister committed to do. The minister committed to ensure that the payments meet financial and program requirements; to check and correct the program files; to equip and support the staff, who are working tirelessly I might add; to ensure accountability; to get the best advice available; and to report on progress.
This is a comprehensive, responsible plan. It is a plan of action that has been endorsed by the auditor general, who is only quoted from the other side with criticism, but remember the quote “This action plan is a very thorough plan for corrective action”. “A very thorough plan for corrective action” is what the auditor general said. That should be good enough to move forward.
The real question should be: What is being done to carry out this plan? We do not need an inquiry to answer that. We need to look at what is being done to address the deficiencies that have been identified.
Canadians want to know that they can continue to depend on these programs and they want their accounts to be properly administered. That is why the appearance of the minister before the standing committee was so important.
The minister used the occasion to bring committee members up to date on the progress being made in the implementation of that well received plan. During her appearance she tabled a report. It provided a wealth of important information for those who are genuinely concerned about this issue.
For example, the report confirms that all documentation for HRDC active grants and contributions is now in order. The minister pointed out that close to 17,000 active files were reviewed in addition to those audited. The total contract value was just over $1.5 billion. Of that $1.5 billion, a total of $6,500 was owed to the Government of Canada. That is $6,500 out of $1.5 billion researched.
The work to clean up and review these files has been extraordinary. Many public servants have been working night and day, turning in a lot of extra effort for which they deserve our thanks. They have been going through file after file. I would point out that is because those dedicated public servants believe in programs around literacy and disability and young Canadians getting into the workforce.
Much of the information in the past was not adequate. The government learned from that. We know that proper paperwork is central to the accountability of public funds. We have moved decisively to deal with these deficiencies in manners that are earning the praise of the auditor general. That is not all. The department is also making progress on other elements of the plan. For example, it is better equipping and supporting the staff who administer the programs. The minister has already called for more training of the staff at HRDC, and since January more than 3,000 program and finance employees have received training. A training strategy has been developed to ensure that all appropriate staff receive mandatory training on the delivery of grants and contributions.
The department has also improved its organizational accountability by restructuring so that it can better accommodate the challenge of balancing national standards with regional program delivery.
The Human Resources Investment Branch has been split in two. One branch is responsible for nationally delivered programs, and the second branch is responsible for those that are delivered regionally.
Departmental officials continue to draw on expert advice from the auditor general, as well as others, as required.
On every one of these aspects of the plan significant progress is being made.
The department is also being open and transparent in reporting on its work. The minister has stood in the House and answered questions for months. She has appeared before the standing committee. She has tabled a full report on the progress to date. In addition, she has undertaken to respond to all legitimate requests for information from members of parliament, so much so that when the information commissioner appeared before the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights he gave her an A+.
The privacy commissioner, to some extent on the other side, also told her that she was doing an extraordinarily good job on that side of the equation. It is not an easy balance to find.
There were 10,000 pages of project information tabled before the standing committee.
The government believes that the best interests of all Canadians are served when we strike an appropriate balance between clear accountability to taxpayers and getting results for Canadians. Indeed, this will always be a fundamental challenge of good governance. Obviously there have been weaknesses in the department, but they have been identified. We have established a plan to correct them and we are working to implement that plan.
As far as I am concerned, the process is working. I fail to see how a politically motivated inquiry such as that proposed by the opposition could add anything useful to this process at this stage and I will not be supporting it.