Lost his last election, in 2006, with 41% of the vote.
Auditor General's Report February 11th, 2004
Mr. Speaker, rather than spending time with issues such as Flat Mark, we might want to spend a little time on whistleblowing.
The member for Winnipeg Centre was a leader on this issue in the committee last year. We are working on translating that into legislation which will be put before the House very soon.
I would encourage the member to engage with this and let us produce the finest whistleblowing legislation in the world.
Auditor General's Report February 11th, 2004
Mr. Speaker, let me see if I am understanding this correctly. Is he talking about retroactive amnesty for actions that have not yet been undertaken? I am not certain what the member is talking about. I cannot tell him.
As a member of the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates, we worked hard on this issue. The member for Winnipeg Centre, along with members from the then Alliance and in fact a member of the Bloc, who has since then seen the light, worked hard on recommendations that we put before the House in a report on this very issue.
Auditor General's Report February 10th, 2004
Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General indeed questions a number of the activities by the crown corporations, which is why I instructed the Secretary to the Treasury Board to write to the crowns today and ask them to review their audit procedures while we get ready to undertake a complete review of crown governance.
Auditor General's Report February 10th, 2004
Mr. Speaker, one of the things that the Prime Minister identified when he came into office was the need to work to enhance transparency in government. It is something the Auditor General has written about repeatedly. It is something to which we are committed.
I would invite the hon. member to work with us in putting those rules in place.
Auditor General's Report February 10th, 2004
Mr. Speaker, there is an old saying in politics that when one cannot attack the policy, one attacks the person. What the opposition is trying to do is tie themselves in knots trying to change what this Prime Minister has done. The fact is he got rid of the program. The fact is he ordered an absolutely wide open public inquiry so we could get to the bottom of it. That is what this Prime Minister has done.
Auditor General's Report February 10th, 2004
Mr. Speaker, I encourage the hon. member to read the Auditor General's report more carefully. What she pointed out was that after her last review, action was undertaken by the previous president of the Treasury Board and the previous minister responsible for public works and government services, and that they put in place a comprehensive regime that was beginning to work. Nonetheless, when we came into office, there was a feeling that the program was simply so tainted that it was time to get rid of it and start over again.
Auditor General's Report February 10th, 2004
Mr. Speaker, Treasury Board rules were respected when the program was put in place. There are guidelines and polices in place that simply were not followed. The reality is that no matter how good the rules are, if people choose to break them, they can do so. This is the very problem the Auditor General has identified in this report, and one of the problems on which she has asked us to work.
I invite other members to work with us on trying to seek solutions to this.
Auditor General's Report February 10th, 2004
Mr. Speaker, the fact is that upon being sworn in, the Prime Minister cancelled the program. The fact is that the Prime Minister instructed this President of the Treasury Board to put in place the mechanisms to maximize transparency, accountability, fiscal responsibility, things that the House should be involved in solving.
Auditor General's Report February 10th, 2004
Mr. Speaker, the reason for putting in place an independent judicial inquiry is to answer exactly those questions in a manner completely independent from the government. To turn this inquiry into a star chamber is the wrong way to get to those answers.
Auditor General's Report February 10th, 2004
Mr. Speaker, I would like to start by thanking the Auditor General for this report. The Auditor General and her staff have done an incredibly detailed and careful piece of work pointing at some serious problems that have been discussed in the House many times.
The hon. member who raises this question and I have had more than one conversation on how we fix these problems. What we are setting about to do, and what I am asking the hon. gentleman to join us in, is putting in place the solutions to this problem.