Mr. Speaker, I rise today to set the record straight. This government is open and transparent with information. The hon. member opposite has the temerity to suggest that just because central agencies disagree with the Auditor General on the documentation of their challenge function that our government is secretive and unaccountable.
Exactly the opposite is true and the hon. member knows it. He is trying to score political points by brewing up a tempest in a teapot and there is no substance to it. It is a witch's brew designed to stir up trouble.
Yes, central agencies do play an important role in challenging departments and agencies during the development of their policies and programs. Their objective is to support cabinet decision making by helping to ensure that the most robust analysis and advice are presented to ministers. The government also wants to strengthen documentation in the right place, that is in departments and agencies which are best positioned to undertake this role.
The member opposite is ignoring the reality that much of this function is done verbally. A lot of it occurs over the phone and in meetings. We are talking about a fast-paced and fluid environment in which this process takes place. It is a process that involves a number of players, each offering new input at a variety of different moments. To try to document all interactions with departments and agencies and ensure that all advice is written down and produced in documents would be impractical and costly and would slow down the government's ability to respond to events like the recent economic crisis.
In short, it would serve neither ministers nor Canadians. What is documented are the results of the challenge function and advice to ministers in support of cabinet discussions and decisions. However, our system of cabinet government holds this advice to be confidential, but that is a far cry from saying this government does not believe in openness and transparency.
The facts speak for themselves and tell the opposite story. It is a fact that it was this government that released information from many of the boards and commissions that previously were not required to release it.
It is a fact that it was this government that brought in the Federal Accountability Act which contained the most sweeping accountability measures in Canadian history. As a result, 69 more public institutions are now covered by the access to information law, bringing the total number of organizations subject to legislation to about 255.
It is a fact that we have been providing the training, policies, directives and action plans needed to support the capacity of the ATIP community. When we see the big picture and not just a narrow sliver, we get a true representation, not a distorted one.
Thanks to the efforts of this government, Canada has a public service that is more open, transparent and accountable than at any time in its history, and that is a government I am proud to be part of.