John Brassard

Mr. Speaker, Positioning · 29 wordsif Canadians wanted any evidence at all that what the Liberal government wants is an audience and not an effective opposition, Motion No. 9 reflects that accurately and precisely.PositioningUnearned certainty Claims · 100 wordsIt was just under a year ago that the Prime Minister of this country was elected by Canadians.¹ It was a fair election, Off pointbut the Prime Minister was elected in a minority situation.² He received fewer votes than what he needed for a majority. Canadians sent that message, as they did in previous elections, because they were not happy with the Liberal government and what it was doing to this country. Canadians elected the government in a minority situation because we had an untested, unproven Prime Minister who had never engaged in politics before. Canadians voted for a minority government. Procedure · 3 wordsWhat that meant, ProcedureClaims · 150 wordsas is the convention around this place in relation to the Standing Orders, is that we had committees that were negotiated at that time that were structured in a way that reflected the results of the election. It meant that for Conservatives and members of the Bloc, we had the majority of members on those committees.³ For the committees that were not oversight committees, that meant that if the opposition members wanted to determine what a study was going to be, wanted to compel witnesses, wanted to summons or wanted to compel documents, they could do it without it having to get to the chair. That is the way committees were formed. The same can be said about the oversight committees. I am the chair of the ethics committee.⁴ The oversight committees exist because they deal with issues of importance related to government operations, government contracts, ethics, accountability and transparency. Reasoning · 85 wordsIf it was not for the oversight committees in previous parliaments, as the member for Regina—Qu’Appelle said, none of the scandals that became big scandals, one which caused Parliament to be prorogued in the case of the Winnipeg lab scandal, would have come out if not for the oversight committees.⁵ The purpose the oversight committees serve is to hold the government to account, to ensure there is transparency and to ensure that the information is available to us, especially when a minority government is elected. Claims · 163 wordsWe run a real risk. I have a grave concern that the level of accountability and transparency is not going to be there with Liberal members on these oversight committees, controlling these committees. When those committees were constituted, there were good-faith negotiations. The proportionality of what has happened now in this transactional nature of a majority government, where we have seen floor crossers give the government a majority, means they have just over 50% of the seats right now, ⁶which, again, should be reflective on those committees. What the Liberals are proposing with Motion No. 9 is to in fact give themselves 58% of representation on those committees, ⁷which would ensure that nothing the opposition wanted to do at those committees would actually happen. There would be no summoning of documents. There would be no appearances by witnesses. There would be no studies on things that happen as a result of scandals within the government that would ever see the light of day. Procedure · 8 wordsThat is what is most troubling to me.Procedure Claims · 106 wordsThe other thing that has been troubling, and I have seen a pattern of this over the 10‑plus years I have been here, speaks to the importance of what is needed in this country. If we do not have any accountability and do not have the type of transparency that Parliament is going to be able to provide at this point, especially given the work the committees are charged with, it seems like we have turned into a country where we are the only country in liberalized democracies around the world where the opposition party is held to a greater account than the government by media.Unearned certainty Positioning · 40 wordsThat needs to stop right now, because the power that is given to this Parliament, the power that is given to MPs, the supreme power that is given, is being taken away by the Liberal government through Motion No. 9.Positioning Claims · 84 wordsIt is a sad indictment on where we are with respect to oversight, accountability and transparency, when there are YouTubers who are finding out more about what is happening within the Liberal government, the scandals and the connections of well-connected insiders, lobbyists and family members. When YouTubers are researching this stuff and finding this stuff out, that is a sad indictment on where we are with respect to media accountability in this country and holding the opposition to greater account than the government party.Off point Procedure · 15 wordsWith all that is happening with Motion No. 9, I want to send a message, ProcedureReasoning · 20 wordsbecause it is going to become increasingly important for the media if this passes without amendment on the oversight committees: The ask · 4 words“Do your goddamn jobs.” Aside · 5 wordsSome hon. members: Oh, oh!Aside