National Breaking News

The Canadian Press - ONLINE EDITION

Conservatives block motion to produce key financial details to parliamentarians

By: Jennifer Ditchburn, The Canadian Press

Thursday, Mar. 7, 2013 at 4:50 PM | Comments: 0

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty answers questions in the lockup prior to the release of the federal budget in Ottawa Thursday, March 29, 2012. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

OTTAWA - The Conservatives voted down an opposition motion Thursday to turn over key financial documents in the run-up to the federal budget, part of a hot debate over how much information Parliament is allowed to see before it votes on budgetary matters.

A Liberal motion was debated behind closed doors at the public accounts committee, but did not survive the Tory-dominated vote. The motion would have ordered the Finance Department to give MPs copies of long-term financial analyses prepared between 2010 and the present.

The auditor general in his report last November had asked the department to publish such analyses, pointing out that the government had promised to do so in 2007.

"This lack of reporting means that parliamentarians and Canadians do not have all the relevant information to understand the long-term impact of budgets on the federal, provincial, and territorial governments in order to support public debate and to hold the government to account," said the fall report.

But when opposition MPs asked a Finance Department official Tuesday whether the analyses would in fact be published, the bureaucrat said that would be up to the minister.

Benoit Robidoux, assistant deputy finance minister, continually referred to another document — an October 2012 report on Canada's aging population — as evidence the department was living up to its commitments. He also suggested that analyses written up for the minister were confidential.

Tory MP Daryl Kramp said Thursday the October 2012 report encompassed a number of long-term fiscal analyses stretching back to 2007, and rendered the opposition motion moot.

"It's a published report, it's all in there," said Kramp.

"That why if there's working papers, or other things like that are part of a composition of developing a report, they're probably not there, as they wouldn't be. That's the government prerogative to be able to decide what they should or shouldn't have."

But Liberal MP Gerry Byrne said it's preposterous to suggest that a report on a single issue — demographics — would represent the kind of large-scale analysis recommended by the auditor general.

"For instance, a report on changing demographics would obviously not deal with any analysis that would also exist dealing with the long-term sustainability of defence procurement spending, of the sustainability of infrastructure spending and other matters not necessarily dealing with demographic concerns," Byrne said.

This week, former Finance Department officials Scott Clark and Peter DeVries joined the call for greater transparency of the government's financial data.

"Budget documents now contain less economic and fiscal data than in any budget over the previous 25 years," the pair wrote in the current issue of "Inside Policy."

"It is simply impossible to adequately assess the economic and fiscal forecast based on the data provided. Requests for information are denied on the basis that the data constitutes 'Cabinet Confidences."'

Clark and DeVries also defended the work of parliamentary budget officer Kevin Page, who has butted heads regularly with the government while trying to evaluate government spending.

Rate this
This article has not yet been rated.

We want you to tell us what you think of our articles. If the story moves you, compels you to act or tells you something you didn’t know, mark it high. If you thought it was well written, do the same. If it doesn’t meet your standards, mark it accordingly.

You can also register and/or login to the site and join the conversation by leaving a comment.

Rate it yourself by rolling over the stars and clicking when you reach your desired rating. We want you to tell us what you think of our articles. If the story moves you, compels you to act or tells you something you didn’t know, mark it high.

Sort by: Newest to Oldest | Oldest to Newest | Most Popular 0 Comments

You can comment on most stories on brandonsun.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.

There are no comments at the moment. Be the first to post a comment below.

Post Your Comment

The Brandon Sun does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. Comments are moderated before publication. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.