Reg Alcock

[Question No. 46, April 29th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, following the first reply to Question No. 46 on April 19, 2004, the Canadian Wheat Board, CWB, has now checked all records of contracts awarded for the period April 1, 1997 to December 1998, when the CWB ceased to be a crown corporation. In accordance with provisions of the Income Tax Act, all invoices prior to April 1, 1997 have been destroyed. For the period April 1, 1997 to December 31, 1998, no record of any grant, contribution, contract and/or loan guarantee with the company mentioned was found.

[National Unity Fund, April 28th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, as the assistant to our very capable Minister of Health, I want to assure the member that the list is under preparation. I expect to have it for him shortly.

[Public Service, April 27th, 2004]

Well, Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the question because the member has been deeply interested in the machinery of government. However, I can assure him that, once I became President of the Treasury Board, we launched nine studies of the operations of government, the most comprehensive review of the operations of government, I think, maybe in the history of the government.

Compensation is one of these. We are looking at all aspects of it. We will come forward, including coming forward to the committee of which he is a member, with some facts. On those facts, we can make sound policy choices.

[Government Contracts, April 27th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, as I said, if the member for incomplete documents would have examined those consulting contracts, he would have found things like the service contracts for doctors who serve children in the north. He would have found contracts with engineers who look at rebuilding infrastructure across the country. He would have found contracts for information technology. These are good solid service contracts going to Canadians to provide services to Canadians.

[Government Contracts, April 27th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the question. The reality is that this side of the House does not make accusations or decisions absence evidence. Ever since my assuming the role of President of the Treasury Board, we have been examining each one of these. We have announced a series of reviews in the budget, looking at each one of these elements. We will come forward with evidence upon which we will make responsible policy choices.

[National Unity Fund, April 26th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, it is true that my attribution to Ernst & Young was wrong. However, the information was correct. It is freely available, publicly, on the website of Public Works and Government Services.

[National Unity Fund, April 26th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, I think I also offered to run a workshop for the members on how the federal government finance works.

The existence of reserves in the fiscal framework is quite common. There are a number of them that are used for a variety of purposes because it is impossible to predict the exact amount of spending, and one wants to ensure that we never go into deficit.

The Auditor General has commented on the use of these funds as being perfectly normal.

[National Unity Fund, April 26th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, as is becoming increasingly characteristic in this place, what the hon. member just said is absolutely untrue.

What I have said on this is that we are assembling the information. Most of it has been reported in public accounts. We are collecting the rest. It has been already shared with people. We will share the whole list once it is brought together. We have been saying that over and over again.

Remember, this covers two governments and three prime ministers. There is a great deal of detail to be dug out here and we are working on it. However, these accusations that there is a secret are completely untrue.

[Sponsorship Program, April 22nd, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, the question was why should Canadians trust this Prime Minister on this question. Simply because he has set up the most open, transparent process it is possible to have. Day by day the facts are coming out. As I have always said, the Prime Minister has nothing to fear from the truth.

[Question No. 65, April 2nd, 2004]

The official financial results of the government are published in the Public Accounts of Canada and in the annual financial report of the Government of Canada on an annual basis.

The practice of netting revenues and expenses in the public accounts and in the annual financial report changed in fiscal year 2002-03. This change involved eliminating the netting of some revenues and expenses and presenting these only on a gross basis instead of both net and gross.

These financial statements received an unqualified, clean, audit opinion from the Auditor General. The Auditor General viewed this change as a major improvement in financial reporting.

The government does not have immediate plans to discontinue the practice of presenting the net authorities to be voted in estimates, that is, vote netting, but the government’s commitment to increasing transparency and improving reporting to Parliament will provide an opportunity to look at how the presentation and transparency of this information could be improved in the future.

The public accounts also present expenditures against budget; however, the budget is prepared on a net basis. Adjustments were made to the budget figures presented in the public accounts to disclose budgets on a gross basis, so that they could be accurately compared against actual amounts expended. The Auditor General endorsed this approach and commended the government for presenting expenditures against budget in the public accounts.

Fiscal year 2002-03 was the first year that the public accounts disclosed expenditures against budget. This was in response to recommendations for public sector accounting from the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants. The federal government was early in its adoption of this recommendation.

In addition, the government has already signaled its intention to review the Financial Administration Act, to look at issues of accountabilities and discipline.

We will continue to engage and consult parliamentarians on these issues.