Summer is the Time to Come Up with Tough Questions for the Government

August 10, 2005

While the summer recess from day-to-day parliamentary duties provides MPs with invaluable time to interact with constituents, it also provides the necessary opportunity to review, in detail, events that have unfolded over the past session.

Along with other periodic breaks in the House of Commons calendar, the summer recess is an ideal time, away from the frenzied pace of the chamber floor, to determine our ‘next steps’ in advancing the interests of our constituents. As Official Opposition House Leader, this is a particularly important part of my job.

In reflecting upon this past parliamentary session, I found that the Liberal government has failed to act upon a series of motions tabled by the Conservative Party and adopted, sometimes unanimously, by MPs in the House.

These motions address issues of great importance to Canadians and I want to know what the Liberals have done to honour these commitments. Therefore, I have submitted what are known as Written Questions. According to House rules, the appropriate federal ministry must respond to my questions within 45 days of them being tabled. Unlike Question Period, it’s a bit more difficult for the Liberals to avoid giving answers. Here are three of my questions:

What steps has the government taken to give effect to the motion adopted by the House on February 8, 2005, that called on the government to immediately drop the Canadian Agricultural Income Stabilization deposit requirement and honour the commitments it has already made to Canadian producers; if no action has been taken, what explanation can the government give to justify disregarding the wishes of the House.

What steps has the government taken to give effect to the motion adopted by the House on February 22, 2005, that called on the government to implement the measures recommended in the Auditor General's report to improve the framework for the accountability of foundations, in particular, to ensure that foundations are subject to performance audits that are reported to Parliament and that the Auditor General be appointed as the external auditor of foundations; if no action has been taken, what explanation can the government give to justify disregarding the wishes of the House.

What steps has the government taken to give effect to a motion adopted by the House on April 20, 2005, that sought compensation from the government for all victims of Hepatitis C; if no action has been taken, what explanation can the government give to justify disregarding the wishes of the House.

Farmers are awaiting word on the removal of the CAIS deposit requirement. Canadian taxpayers are waiting to learn what’s happened to the billions of dollars socked away by the federal Liberal government into these mysterious ‘foundations’.

And Canadians who contracted hepatitis C through tainted blood prior to 1986 and were callously denied compensation by the Liberals in 1998 still have no sign they will ever be compensated.

The clock starts ticking on these questions the first day the House resumes sitting, currently scheduled for September 26th. That means I should start receiving some answers from the government around mid-November … and as always, I’ll keep you posted.

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