Lucienne Robillard

[Supplementary Estimates (B), 2002-03, March 25th, 2003]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-29, an act for granting to Her Majesty certain sums of money for the public service of Canada for the financial year ending March 31, 2003, be read the first time.

(Motion deemed adopted and bill read the first time)

[Supplementary Estimates (B), 2002-03, March 25th, 2003]

moved:

That Supplementary Estimates (B) for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2003, except any vote disposed of earlier today, be concurred in.

[Supplementary Estimates (B), 2002-03, March 25th, 2003]

moved:

Motion No. 5

That Vote 5b, in the amount of $45,754,538, under HUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT--Department--Grants and contributions, in the Supplementary Estimates (B) for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2003, be concurred in.

[Supplementary Estimates (B), 2002-03, March 25th, 2003]

moved:

Motion No. 4

That Vote 10b, in the amount of $161,288,697 under AGRICULTURE AND AGRI-FOOD--Department—Grants and contributions, in the Supplementary Estimates (B) for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2003, be concurred in.

[Supplementary Estimates (B), 2002-03, March 25th, 2003]

moved:

Motion No. 3

That Vote 1b, in the amount of $639,000, under PARLIAMENT—Senate—Program expenditures, in the Supplementary Estimates (B) for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2003, be concurred in.

[Supplementary Estimates (B), 2002-03, March 25th, 2003]

moved:

Motion No. 2

That Vote 5b, in the amount of $9,048,840 under JUSTICE—Department—Operating Expenditures, in the Supplementary Estimates (B) for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2003, be concurred in.

[Question No. 139, March 21st, 2003]

Treasury Board meeting agendas and decisions are confidences of the Queen’s Privy Council and are exempt from release under section 69 of the Access to Information Act. We therefore cannot provide the dates of Treasury Board meetings nor with a list of members in attendance.

The following charts detail the funding provided for the Canadian firearms program, CFP, in the main and supplementary estimates by fiscal year.

Main Estimates

Supplementary Estimates

[Firearms Registry, March 17th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I have already told the House that according to department officials, the program was never officially designated as such. If that were the case, a decision would have to be made by the Treasury Board. However, it was never officially designated as a major crown project.

That said, I believe that the Department of Justice and the Treasury Board Secretariat agree that more information should be reported to Parliament.

[Privilege, March 17th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to clarify a point before the House concerning my response to a question from the official opposition. I was asked whether the firearms control program had been designated a major crown project by Treasury Board. I repeat my answer: According to my information, the program was never formally designated as a major crown project. That is the answer I gave.

I meant that, in order to be formally designated, this ought to have involved a decision by the ministers of Treasury Board, who meet regularly. To my knowledge, after an examination by my senior officials of all Treasury Board records and decisions, there has never been a written decision by Treasury Board formally designating this project as a major crown project.

That said, I think it is quite normal that there has been some confusion regarding this designation and, specifically, the Auditor General's remarks before the standing committee. Why? Because, according to many Department of Justice documents, this program should be managed as a major crown project, hence the confusion. It must be managed, but it has not been formally designated.

I think that, consequently, the Auditor General and the Secretary of the Treasury Board met to try to clarify this whole issue. They both agreed that, other than whether or not the program is designated a major crown project, the most important issue was that of parliamentary reports and their relevancy. This is really the most important issue.

It is so important that this same parliamentary committee—the Standing Committee on Public Accounts—has even asked me to appear this afternoon with the Auditor General to provide all the clarifications needed in this regard and to answer all the members' questions.

For a number of weeks now, this program has raised numerous questions, and I can assure you that all the spending authorities for this program were approved by this House, in the main estimates, or the supplementary estimates, through related appropriation acts and, naturally, the public accounts.

That said, the Auditor General has stated that Parliament should have been provided with better information. The Department of Justice and the Treasury Board Secretariat completely agree with her on this. But once again, this afternoon, we will have the opportunity to debate this issue with parliamentarians and answer all their questions.

Far be it from me to provide the House with incorrect information. I have answered to the best of my knowledge.

[Firearms Registry, February 25th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, according to my information the program was not formally designated as a major crown project.