Mr. Chairman, I have two or three points in response.
On the issue of transparency, I think in this whole difficult controversy we are seeing transparency at work. For example, the statistics that have been referred to this evening about the value of sponsorships in past years and the commissions paid and so forth, that information is made accessible either through our websites or through the well established access to information procedure. That form of accessibility and transparency is obviously working as it should.
With respect to the financing of the Canadian political system, we have a law governing that subject that requires disclosure and publication. That system is working as it should.
There are some well established examples of transparency here that are functioning quite well.
In terms of the hon. gentleman's basic point about sponsorships that are contributed by the Government of Canada being a use of taxpayer dollars, that absolutely goes without saying. If a sponsorship is offered by a private sector corporation, as the hon. gentleman said, the corporation obviously has a responsibility to its shareholders. In the case of a sponsorship offered by a government, whether it is the Government of Canada, the government of a province or the government of a municipality, then the shareholder is the taxpayer.
I want to assure the hon. gentleman of my absolute respect for the taxpayer's dollar and my determination that in the sponsorship program there will be transparency and accountability. The taxpayer will get value for the dollars expended.