Discussion · Government Orders
Christine Normandin Bloc Québécois
“It will be harder to hold the government accountable. The Liberals use their majority to block committee studies and hide documents. They also hide decisions inside agencies so no one can ask questions about them.”
“Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Beauharnois—Salaberry—Soulanges—Huntingdon for her excellent question. I really enjoy listening to her in the House as well. It is okay to praise one another from time to time. I get the feeling that, unfortunately, one of the things we will be doing the most in the coming weeks is praising one another because we will unfortunately have a much harder time holding the government to account. We can see it in the Liberals’ attitude. Yes, there are committees where the government is quick to try to refuse requests for studies from the opposition parties and requests for documents on the pretext that it can do whatever it wants since it now has a majority. Just because someone can do something does not mean that is the right thing to do. We will certainly see examples of that in the future. This shows the kind of approach that is on the horizon. It also makes clear that transparency is not really the Liberals’ cup of tea. More and more, we are seeing a host of agencies that keep decision-making out of the public eye. We know the government is pulling the strings behind the scenes, but as soon as accountability comes into play, we are not supposed to ask questions under the pretext that it is an independent agency. That is part of the current government’s attitude. Ultimately, it is the citizens who will lose out.”
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Beauharnois—Salaberry—Soulanges—Huntingdon for her excellent question. I really enjoy listening to her in the House as well. It is okay to praise one another from time to time. I get the feeling that, unfortunately, one of the things we will be doing the most in the coming weeks is praising one another because we will unfortunately have a much harder time holding the government to account. We can see it in the Liberals’ attitude. Yes, there are committees where the government is quick to try to refuse requests for studies from the opposition parties and requests for documents on the pretext that it can do whatever it wants since it now has a majority. Just because someone can do something does not mean that is the right thing to do. We will certainly see examples of that in the future. This shows the kind of approach that is on the horizon. It also makes clear that transparency is not really the Liberals’ cup of tea. More and more, we are seeing a host of agencies that keep decision-making out of the public eye. We know the government is pulling the strings behind the scenes, but as soon as accountability comes into play, we are not supposed to ask questions under the pretext that it is an independent agency. That is part of the current government’s attitude. Ultimately, it is the citizens who will lose out.