The
COVID-19 pandemic has plunged our country into an unprecedented public health
emergency. More than 30,000 Canadians have gotten sick and many have been
hospitalized. Too many of us are mourning the loss of family members and
friends. Healthcare workers are working around the clock without always
having the necessary medical supplies. Our economy is almost completely
shut down, putting millions out of work and endangering businesses from coast
to coast. Children are losing valuable school time. Our seniors are
isolated and in tragic cases, in need of much better care. Meanwhile,
Prime Minister Trudeau tells us it will be many weeks before Canada can begin
to open up again.
On
March 13, as the scale of the crisis became clear, the House of Commons adjourned
its normal business for five weeks. During this adjournment, Parliament
has sat twice to pass emergency legislation that was needed to get urgent help
to Canadians.
As
things stand, the House of Commons is scheduled to sit once again on April
20. All parties have been negotiating to determine how exactly the House
should reconvene given the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Conservatives
have proposed a reasonable workplan that would keep Parliament open so that we
can improve government programs and policies and get better results for
Canadians.
Everyone
understands that we cannot have all 338 Members of Parliament in the House and
still respect public health advice. That is why, during the previous two
emergency sittings, on March 24 and then again on April 11, the House met with
a much smaller number of MPs. Each party was represented in proportion to
the size of its total caucus. We are proposing that model continues to be
used.
In
order to ensure that Canadians get the real help they need, there must be
oversight and accountability. That is why Conservatives have proposed
having three in-person sittings each week to allow MPs to debate and vote on
essential COVID-19 legislation. MPs would also have two hours each day to
question the Prime Minister and ministers on all aspects of the government’s
response to the pandemic. These sessions have proven to be extremely
valuable thus far. We have improved the government’s wage subsidy
legislation, pressed the government to include seasonal workers in the
eligibility criteria for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit, and gotten
answers to many questions that Canadians have been asking.
The
Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs has also been tasked with
studying the possible implementation of virtual sittings to augment these
in-person sittings. If the committee recommends virtual sittings, we
would be happy to meet virtually one day a week to allow a broader range of MPs
to participate.
As
this crisis progresses, we recognize that the government may need to pass new
legislation to help Canadians who are struggling. Opposition parties have
already demonstrated how debate, discussion and tough questions ultimately
improves government programs and policies. Conservatives are ready to
roll up our sleeves and get to work.
Parliamentary
committees also play an essential role in holding the government to
account. Normally they are the masters of their own domain and can call
witnesses, pass motions and force the government to produce documents. In
February, the Health Committee was able to secure over 1,000 pages of
information related to the government’s handling of the pandemic. But
what they received in March was heavily redacted by the government.
Virtual committees have no recourse to get this information. Canadians
deserve to know where things went wrong and how the government intends to
improve going forward.
Currently,
the Health and Finance committees are meeting virtually, and several other
committees are expected to start meeting next week. But the government
has refused to give virtual committees the same powers regular committees
have. Conservatives are pushing for all committees to be able to meet
virtually to discuss the pandemic response and for them to have their regular
powers. The government must not be allowed to hide things from Canadians.
Through
our tireless efforts to ensure proper accountability, Parliament has tasked the
Auditor General with reviewing the unprecedented level of government spending
during this crisis and ensuring that not one cent of taxpayer dollars is
misspent. In order to carry out this vital work, the government must appoint
a permanent Auditor General with a ten-year term and provide his or her office
with the necessary resources.
Some
have suggested that Conservatives are only interested in holding weekly
sittings for partisan purposes. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Our focus is on helping Canadians through this crisis and ensuring that
when the time comes, we have a plan to get Canada’s economy back on track.
In
the words of the great John Diefenbaker, “Parliament is more than procedure –
it is the custodian of the nation’s freedom.”
No
government should use a health crisis to try to effectively shut down democracy
or take away hard-won rights or freedoms. When the government has tried
to grant itself sweeping new powers, we have stopped them. When they have
tried to avoid accountability, we have required transparency. And when they
have brought forward legislation to help Canadians, we have made
improvements. That work must continue.
Parliament
is an essential service. Representatives in Japan, Italy, France,
Germany, Greece, Sweden, Finland and the European Parliament are continuing to
meet during these trying times. Our democracy should be no different.
It
is my sincere hope that all parties will agree to our common-sense
proposals. Canadians are counting on us.
Sincerely,
Andrew
Scheer, Leader of Canada’s Conservatives and of the Official Opposition
The post An Open Letter to Canadians appeared first on Canada's Official Opposition.
