Mr. Speaker, I have listened carefully to the speech by my friend and colleague from the Conservative Party.
This is the third time that this recommendation has been made—the second was by the Auditor General and the first by the committee—that the Office of the Auditor General be designated to look into what is happening with the foundations. Each time, the government has given the same answer. I would like to hear the comments of the hon. member about this answer.
The government says that the Auditor General must not be given this right of oversight, because it might cast doubt on the independence of the foundations. That is more or less what we are going to be hearing from the government party all day—that the Auditor General cannot examine the foundations, because doing so would prejudice their strategic or organizational independence, or whatever.
I would like to ask my colleague how he interprets the act of verifying whether money has been well managed and well used. As I see it, that is one thing. Furthermore, does he agree with me that an external audit held to ensure money has been well managed, does not call into question the decisions of the board of directors, the mandate of the foundation, its operating method, its operational strategy or anything else?
Does he feel the government's excuse that this would prejudice the independence of the foundations still holds?