Madam Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Richmond Hill.
This motion from the member for Calgary Nose Hill includes six exhaustive orders for the production of an extraordinary number of documents. I am not going to go through each of these requests one by one, but I will make some observations.
First, it is premature to request documents in the manner set out in this motion. Receiving a massive package of documents that we will all need to sort through is unproductive. I suggest that instead, as each topic is studied, documents can be requested from the witnesses who appear before the committee, as they often are. This suggestion would ensure that the committee receives the relevant documents when they are studying each issue. It would also help the members of the committee to know what documents are pertinent to their study, as witnesses can point them in the right direction through their expertise. Indeed, that would be a far more efficient and helpful way to request documents. The way the Conservatives are requesting to proceed in this motion is problematic in part because of the challenges it will present for committee members. It will not enable them to do their jobs effectively.
There are also human and financial costs. I remind all members that the public service continues to work around the clock with real objectives to help all Canadians. Every time documents are requested, whether the request is large or small, our hard-working public servants have to look for the documents, compile them and translate them. This country's bilingualism is one of its greatest strengths, but it also requires that time and money are spent on translation. It means that documents cannot be produced as quickly.
It is also essential to consider the amount of time these document searches take. Every person involved does their utmost to ensure their examination is thorough. A search can take days, weeks and even months, and each person involved in it is taken away from doing other work, which means that fewer people are working on the issues that matter most to Canadians.
This production of documents request does not only apply to our hard-working public servants who work in government departments. When document requests relate to ministers and their offices, the same logic applies to all these same people. Ministers' offices must stop doing their work, stop preparing important legislation, stop critical engagement with stakeholders and go through every email, every memo and every note to ensure that these requests are satisfied.
Please do not misunderstand me. I am not suggesting in any way that transparency is not essential. I know that my Conservative colleagues will try to paint this as the government trying to avoid being open and transparent with Canadians, but that could not be further from the truth. The truth is that there is a balance between transparency and efficiency. All I am suggesting is that the right balance needs happen to not unduly delay or restrict the government's capacity to do the work that Canadians want and need us to do. Canadians are counting on us.
Hard-working public servants are doing the critical work of helping Canadians. Instead of keeping Canadians safe, they would be forced to redirect their efforts to filling these orders. It is worth noting that most, if not all, people are working from home, and locating these documents therefore poses more of a challenge. Most people are not in their offices right now, because they cannot be.
Just yesterday, Ontario reported 790 new cases of COVID-19 and nine new deaths from the virus. Of these, 57 were in Ottawa. In total, 260 people are hospitalized in Ontario because of COVID-19, including 71 in intensive care, and there are 144 new COVID-19 cases related to schools, including at least 66 among students. People need to be able to work from home. This reality makes locating documents even more time-consuming and challenging.
The Conservatives do not seem concerned about helping the many Canadians who find themselves in dire straits because of the pandemic. They do not seem to care about helping millions of Canadians suffering from mental health issues. However, Canadians care about these things, and we are here because Canadians elected us. I would like to do the work that Canadians need us to do.
The member for Calgary Nose Hill has stated, “the committee is the master of its own business” and “I think it behooves all committee members to remember that the committee is the master of its own destiny”. Why does she refuse to work with the other parties at the health committee to find a constructive way forward? She could easily have withdrawn her initial omnibus motion and reworked it in collaboration with her colleagues on the committee. I would argue that if she wanted to get work done on these issues, as she so often says she does, that would have been a more logical approach. Instead, she has chosen to ask the House to dictate to the committee what work it should undertake. She could easily present a motion at committee requesting a briefing from officials on specific topics. She could submit individual motions on each unique and vital area that she would like the committee to study so it can prioritize the issues that are most pressing and begin the important work that all members are here to do.
I obviously cannot support this motion as it is presently drafted and, frankly, I am not sure how anyone can. However, I am hopeful that colleagues across the way will do the right thing and support us in voting down this motion, allowing the committee members together to decide what work they should undertake.