EVIDENCE Standing Committee on Public Accounts NUMBER 008 2nd SESSION 39th PARLIAMENT Thursday, December 6, 2007 Le jeudi décembre Standing Committee on Public Accounts CANADA [Recorded by Electronic Apparatus] EVIDENCE December 6, 2007 Committee Edited Evidence * Table of Contents * Number 008 (Official Version) Official Report * Table of Contents * Number 008 (Official Version) Témoignages * Table des matières * Numéro 008 (Version officielle) 08 06 12 2007 2007/12/06 09:05:00 House of Commons Comité permanent des comptes publics Standing Committee on Public Accounts PACP Chair The Honourable Shawn Murphy 39 PUBLIC PART ONLY -

PARTIE PUBLIQUE SEULEMENT (1210) [ English ] The Chair (Hon. Shawn Murphy (Charlottetown, Lib.)) : I call the meeting to order. Mr. Wrzesnewskyj has the floor. Mr. Borys Wrzesnewskyj (Etobicoke Centre, Lib.) : Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'd like to move, and I certainly believe we'll have unanimous consent, that we thank the researchers for the tremendous job they've done on this particular report. This report is not typical of the reports that researchers are usually required to work on. They've certainly gone beyond the call of duty, and they've done a tremendous service for the Canadian public and the RCMP.

Thank you. Mr. David Christopherson (Hamilton Centre, NDP) : Could we just specify that this will be forwarded to their supervisors? The Chair : Did you want to put that in the motion? Mr. Borys Wrzesnewskyj : That's a friendly amendment to my motion. The Chair : Okay, and make it unanimous? (Motion agreed to) [See Minutes of Proceedings ] The Chair: I certainly want to lend my support to it. Lydia and Alex have done a great job, as have other members of the committee. I disagree with Mr. Christopherson. I don't think we've failed.

I think we've written a good report, and I want to congratulate every member of the committee. Mr. David Christopherson : Mr. Chair, since we're now in public and it's on record, I just want to say that I do think we failed, because the purpose of this is for us to work collectively to hold the government, whoever that is, accountable. And when we don't agree entirely, it waters down the effectiveness of any recommendations. It's politics as usual.

So notwithstanding that I think we did a lot of good work—I feel good about my work and the work of my colleagues—I'm very disappointed that we weren't able to offer Parliament the best that we could, which is a unanimous report. The Chair : Thank you very much, Mr. Christopherson. The meeting is adjourned.