Debates of June 14th, 2018

Concurrence in Vote 1—Northern Pipeline Agency

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I am afraid my colleague would not know the difference between transparency and a black hole.

He mentioned the previous prime minister. I would note that the current Prime Minister is the only prime minister in history to have been charged on ethics and found guilty.

The member suggested looking this up on Google. I would remind the President of the Treasury Board that his own people have said that the lauded GC's Info will not provide the information on how this money will be spent. It will only show a lump sum.

Before I finish, I want to quote someone from before, who said:

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives want a new $3 billion fund with no accountability, no transparency and no oversight. With a deal like that, no wonder [people are]...warning us that money will be wasted.... “This is your money. You have a right to know where it's going and how it's being spent.”

That was the Liberal minister from King—Hants.

[Daniel Blaikie, NDP, Elmwood—Transcona, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Edmonton West for his work on this file and for being a kind of fellow soldier in this kind of strange journey we have been on in this new territory of budget implementation votes.

One of the things we heard consistently from the government was that it somehow did not matter whether we got information about how it was spending before or after the money was spent. I wonder if the member can tell us what that means from the point of view of holding someone to account?

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague from Elmwood—Transcona has done yeoman's work on trying to hold the government to account and shed some light on this estimates process.

The member is 100% correct. There is zero ability for parliamentarians to hold the government to account.

I will use the $300 million from PSPC. We asked the minister what the money would be used for and to give us details. Was it for hiring more staff? Was it for contracts to IBM? She did not know. We were told that it was preposterous to ask what the money would be used before it was approved: approve it first, then ask later.

We were also told that we would not see one item of detail on how this money would be spent. Taxpayers will be looking at $7.4 billion and they will be wondering where it went. However, we will not know. It will only show in the Public Accounts, after the next election, as a lump sum transfer with no detail.

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

It being 10 p.m., it is my duty to interrupt the proceedings and put forthwith every question necessary to dispose of the business of supply.

Call in the members.

[For continuation of proceedings see part B]