Andrew Saxton

[Former Public Sector Integrity Commissioner, March 4th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner is an independent officer of Parliament, appointed with the approval of all the leaders of all the opposition parties and Parliament.

We are pleased that the interim commissioner has said that a third-party review will take place to ensure that no valid concerns were overlooked. A selection process will be launched shortly to identify and appoint a new Public Sector Integrity Commissioner.

We look forward to working with all opposition parties to find the right person for the job.

[Former Public Sector Integrity Commissioner, March 4th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, the previous public sector integrity commissioner has resigned and we look forward to working with all opposition parties to find a new commissioner.

The government sought and followed legal advice as to the terms of her resignation based on her years of service. We understand that Madame Ouimet will be appearing before the standing committee next week, which is the appropriate place to raise these questions.

[Political Financing, March 4th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, contrary to the member opposite's statement, it is well within all government policies to do this. In fact, it has been common practice across many governments. I would be pleased to give examples of previous Liberal government press releases to the member opposite so he can stop using those hypocritical statements.

[Political Financing, March 4th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, this has been a long-standing practice across various governments. This terminology is widely used by journalists and the public. In fact, Mel Cappe, who was quoted in these stories, approved many of the releases when he was clerk, using the term, “Chrétien government”.

[The Economy, March 4th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, as we saw earlier this week, when the President of the Treasury Board tabled the main estimates, our government is committed to keeping taxes low and ensuring that government spending is prudent and affordable. We are avoiding reckless new spending commitments that will lead to higher taxes that kill jobs and hurt Canadian families. Our prudent approach to economic management is clearly the best choice for the Canadian economy.

In contrast, the Liberal leader wants to trigger an unnecessary and opportunistic election over the government's upcoming budget. That is not because of anything in the budget, after all, the Liberal leader has not even seen it yet. He is upset because we will not raise taxes on job creators.

The Liberals have made job killing tax hikes the centrepiece of their vision for Canada. That is a damaging vision, and we call on the Liberal leader to reconsider.

[Adjournment Proceedings, February 17th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, when our government took office, we promised to bring accountability to Ottawa, something that was severely lacking under the previous Liberal government.

As part of that plan, we created the position of Public Sector Integrity Commissioner to ensure that public servants can speak out about wrongdoing without the fear of reprisals. We made the position an independent officer of Parliament who reports to Parliament. Not only is the position independent of government, but appointments to that position are approved by all parties. An appointment is made after consultation with the leader of every recognized party in the Senate and House of Commons, after approval in the Senate and House of Commons.

In addition, the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates examines the qualifications and competence of the nominee and reports to the House. This was the process used for the former commissioner.

Why is the member opposite criticizing the government for the actions of a commissioner approved by his own party? The new interim commissioner has committed to reviewing the disclosures of wrongdoing and complaints of reprisal and to reporting his findings to Parliament.

[Adjournment Proceedings, February 17th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to respond to the suggestion made by the hon. member opposite, that the government has something to hide because the former Public Sector Integrity Commissioner has resigned. This could not be further from the truth. Our record of strengthening accountability, increasing transparency in the public service and restoring Canadians' trust in government holds up to the utmost scrutiny.

This government has a long list of accomplishments to make the public service more open and more accountable to Canadians. The first thing we did when we came to power in 2006 was to establish the Federal Accountability Act.

This is the toughest anti-corruption law in Canadian history. That act and its supporting action plan contained dozens of measures and hundreds of amendments to some 45 federal statutes, which touched virtually every part of government and beyond. It gave agents of Parliament additional powers. It dealt with issues such as the financing of political parties, lobbying and whistleblowing by creating the new position of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner in the first place.

I must, however, take this opportunity to correct the hon. member for Madawaska—Restigouche. When he asked the question on December 9, it showed how he obviously does not know the background on how the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner is appointed.

I would like to take a moment to remind the House that the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner is an independent officer of Parliament. She was appointed with the approval of all opposition party leaders and Parliament, but do not take my word for it. Let me provide a quote, which states:

Therefore, we seek unanimous consent that the ninth report of the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates dealing with the certificate of nomination of Christiane Ouimet to the position of Public Sector Integrity Commissioner be deemed tabled and concurred in.

Who said that? It was the Liberal chair of that committee.

Ms. Ouimet's appointment was considered by the government operations committee on June 14, 2007. Her nomination was considered by the Senate on June 19, 2007. The Senate agreed to appoint her on that very same day.

When it comes to accountability and openness, our record speaks for itself. The member needs to stop and examine the historical record. In fact, that is exactly what the NDP member for Winnipeg Centre did. He stated, “We're the oversight committee for the office of the integrity commissioner and we failed whistleblowers and I'm the first to admit it”.

We have made Canada's public institutions more open, accountable and transparent than at any time in this country's history. We have a process in place for ensuring the independence and objectivity of the integrity commissioner. We are pleased that the interim integrity commissioner has indicated that a third party review will take place to ensure no valid concerns were overlooked.

I would simply ask the member opposite, where is the beef?

[Taxation, February 8th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal threats against Canadian small businesses continue.

Today the Liberals are spending their opposition day calling on the government to raise taxes on job creating businesses. The Liberals confirmed again that they will raise taxes, hurting 110,000 businesses.

The Liberal leader, the self-proclaimed tax and spend Liberal, was the first to propose a job-killing carbon tax. He said a GST hike was still on the table and has said, “We will have to raise taxes”.

Last year he said he would raise taxes on job creators, and he even supports a tax on iPods.

Canada does not need that risk. That is why we continue to fight to keep taxes low to help create jobs and strengthen the Canadian economy.

While the opposition favours higher taxes and irresponsible spending, our government believes in keeping taxes low. Our low tax plan is creating jobs for families right across this country.

[Government Spending, February 4th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, as I said, it is the responsibility of government to communicate important programs and services to Canadians. Advertising is a key way for the government to reach a large number of Canadians on important issues.

We are fulfilling our responsibility to inform Canadians about important programs and initiatives.

[Government Advertising, February 4th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, as I said, it is the responsibility of the government to communicate important programs and services to Canadians. I should point out that our advertising budget is in fact spent on advertising, unlike the previous Liberal government that spent its money on paying off its friends.