Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the Public Accounts of Canada, 2010.
House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2008, with 58% of the vote.
Public Accounts of Canada October 28th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the Public Accounts of Canada, 2010.
Government Accountability October 27th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, it is quite true that in 2005, Transparency International, in its annual corruption perceptions index of 178 countries, pointed out that under the Liberals, Canada had slid down to 14th place. Canadians felt ashamed about this.
Through our Federal Accountability Act and other measures that we have put in place, two years after that very damning report, we had improved and moved to eighth place. This year Canada has now moved to sixth place, and we will not be happy until we get to first place.
Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner October 25th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, in response to the absolute travesty of justice or lack of justice that was occurring under the previous Liberal government, we brought in a number of provisions to protect public servants.
That protection continues under this office. It has the mandate, the legislation and the people. The Auditor General is looking into this. The leadership of the office has now been assumed by the deputy commissioner, Mr. Joe Friday, as we announced on Friday.
Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner October 25th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, it was this government that brought in significant protection for public service employees who previously, under the Liberal government, lived in fear of reprisals for the issues they were raising, especially with the sponsorship scandal.
Right now the Auditor General is looking into the concerns and the complaints that have been brought forward. The office of the commissioner, its staff and the mandate that it has is fully engaged, is there to protect those who are concerned and want to bring forward concerns. They will continue to do that. We have confidence in that. We also will be waiting for the report from the Auditor General.
Status of Women October 20th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, we firmly agree with and support the principle of equal pay for equal work.
The past Liberal government used to force women into court and, in fact, for years forced them to wait for fair compensation. We do not think that is the right way to treat women in these situations, so our Public Sector Equitable Compensation Act allows for these issues to be dealt with right up front, right in the bargaining process.
We do not think women should be forced to wait. We do not know why the Leader of the Opposition and the Liberals want to force them for years to wait for fair compensation.
Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner of Canada October 20th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, it is true that the Auditor General has received complaints about the organization mentioned. She has started an investigation, and we will wait for the results.
Scientific and Technology October 19th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, not at all. In fact, we have no new measures to prevent scientists and other public officials from expressing their opinions. We will maintain our policy that the minister who is responsible for a file will respond, but scientists can also discuss things according to the government's policy, and there are no restrictions on that. We will not be changing the existing policy.
Child and Spousal Support October 19th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, we can talk at length about a variety of programs that show the importance we place on families, single parents and care for children, even as far as having daycare available on site in many of our locations. There is a long list of clear demonstrations of how we care about these situations.
As I have indicated for the member, there have been some cases brought to our attention where it has been difficult to do the follow-up. However, our instruction to officials has been clear: be aggressive on this, close the gap in terms of the time and get these situations dealt with.
Child and Spousal Support October 19th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, we have looked at the report and I must say that we have some concerns. There have been some areas where this has not moved along quickly enough. Some of the areas involve employees who have left and are not that easy to find.
However, whatever the reason is, we have given very clear direction that we want this process expedited. We appreciate what has been brought forward in the report and we will be addressing it.
Sustaining Canada's Economic Recovery Act October 8th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, in the interest of parliamentary debate, things rattle back and forth, and I find it always advantageous when a position is based on facts. In painting a picture of a devastated Canadian economy, I wonder if my colleague across the way has reflected on some statements made by those outside Canada in evaluating Canada's economy.
The International Monetary Fund affirmed again yesterday that Canada's economy leads all industrialized nations. The OECD has said, “Canada's economy shines”. The Economist Intelligence Unit says that Canada's economy is an economic miracle. The World Economic Forum has said that Canada's financial system for the third year running now is the strongest in the world.
The job numbers posted today, although they show a drop in part-time jobs, they show an increase of 37,000 new full-time jobs.
In light of my colleague's unfactually based assessment of Canada's economy, would he be willing to say that the International Monetary Fund, the OECD, the World Economic Forum and the Economist Intelligence Unit are all wrong or are they simply fabricating their evaluations?