Public Accounts committee  It was a good answer.

Public Accounts committee  Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And thank you for the question. I'm not going to offer too much opinion on the work of this committee. I think it's done very good work in the past. I think House of Commons committees can perform very valuable tasks. I do think it must be very frustrating for members of the government, after 15 months in office, after a budget that was well received, after a new leader in the Liberal Party, to be unable to rise above 34%.

Public Accounts committee  It must be frustrating.

Public Accounts committee  Well, you or your colleagues are making a lot of inferences about something that none of us have ever seen.

Public Accounts committee  If I may, the way you phrased it, the answer to your question is no, absolutely not. I had no knowledge of what was discussed here relative to the RCMP. I can't reference exactly when it was, but at one point I believe there was an article in one of the newspapers to the effect that David Smith, an MP, or a company he was involved with had some involvement in receiving contracts from Consulting and Audit Canada.

Public Accounts committee  No.

Public Accounts committee  I am interested. I understand it was tabled without any reference to the Access to Information Act. I note that all the stuff I have is blocked out.

Public Accounts committee  But if the government's position is to table these reports without editing, I'd love to see them. I actually have a list of them. I'll send it over to Mr. Poilievre's office.

Public Accounts committee  Mr. Fitzpatrick, you're talking about an audit that I have no knowledge of. When I was President of the Treasury Board, I did not conduct or review all audits. Quite a large number of them take place in what is the largest and most complex organization in the country of Canada. The audit practices are governed by independent auditors who are licensed as independent auditors.

Public Accounts committee  You're suggesting an involvement in the public sector that I think is inappropriate for a minister, and the answer is no.

Public Accounts committee  I'd prefer to give a long answer. I have a few things to say.

Public Accounts committee  Mr. Fitzpatrick, you may recall that the government was defeated prior to that. Once a government is defeated, a protocol comes into place for ministers, so that they only deal with those items that are essential to maintain the operation of the government until such time as the election is decided.

Public Accounts committee  No, not at all.

Public Accounts committee  If you want to give me a chance to respond, Mr. Fitzpatrick, I'd be prepared to do so. The answer is no, it came after the government had fallen.

Public Accounts committee  I'm prepared to offer an opinion.