Discussion · Government Orders
Sébastien Lemire Bloc Québécois
“This bill promises a lot of money, but government funds are limited. My region could benefit from defence work, but handing this work to a new agency is undemocratic. It will make it harder for Parliament to track spending and keep the government accountable.”
“Mr. Speaker, judging by this bill’s generosity, one would think Christmas had come at Halloween. It seems to have goodies for absolutely everyone. The reality, however, is that there is only so much money to go around, unless the government increases the deficit even more. It is true that, in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, there are opportunities to be seized in the defence sector, whether in rescue training, ballistic defence system development, ammunition or weapon disposal, or military equipment repair. The region has a lot to offer. However, I think that handing this responsibility over to an agency is undemocratic and reduces transparency. As members of Parliament, how can we ensure that such an agency will be accountable when we know very well—as my time on the Standing Committee on Public Accounts has shown me—that this type of structure serves to curtail accountability?”
Mr. Speaker, judging by this bill’s generosity, one would think Christmas had come at Halloween. It seems to have goodies for absolutely everyone. The reality, however, is that there is only so much money to go around, unless the government increases the deficit even more. It is true that, in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, there are opportunities to be seized in the defence sector, whether in rescue training, ballistic defence system development, ammunition or weapon disposal, or military equipment repair. The region has a lot to offer. However, I think that handing this responsibility over to an agency is undemocratic and reduces transparency. As members of Parliament, how can we ensure that such an agency will be accountable when we know very well—as my time on the Standing Committee on Public Accounts has shown me—that this type of structure serves to curtail accountability?