2006-12 (December)
BLAINE CALKINS MP REPORT
December 2006
An Accountable Government
December is traditionally a busy month for all of us whether it is Christmas preparations, exams or finalizing business year end records. It is much the same in Parliament. At the House of Commons, debate on a number of bills wound down and Committees finalized reports before the Christmas recess. Waiting families, Constituency events and bulging local files added to the sense of urgency for MPs to finish up and go home.
The Federal Accountability Act (Bill C-2), one of the Government’s top five priorities on taking office, may have benefited from the seasonal good will. It took a nine month long battle and two trips to the Liberal-dominated Senate before it received Royal Assent on December 12th. From now on, accountability in government is the law in Canada.
This Bill will significantly reduce the opportunity to exert influence with money by banning corporate, union and large personal political donations; give Canadians confidence that lobbying is done ethically with a five-year lobbying ban on former ministers, their aides and senior public servants; ensure people who see problems in government know they can speak up by providing real protection for whistleblowers; and ensure that Canadians know how their hard-earned money is spent by enhancing the power of the Auditor General to follow the money.
This very important piece of legislation is the cornerstone of accountability for our government and for all Canadians. It is the toughest anti-corruption law ever presented in Canadian history.
The new law will keep the culture of entitlement of previous governments in check and move to a culture of accountability. It’s about making everyone in government from the Prime Minister on down answerable to Canadians.
Which is why, the day after Bill C-2 became law, Prime Minister Stephen Harper took accountability a step further by introducing the Senate Appointment Consultations Act. This Bill will make the Senate more democratic and more accountable. For the first time, Canadians will have a say in who represents them in the Upper House.
Voters in provinces with Senate vacancies would choose their preferred Senate candidates as part of federal elections, under the supervision of Elections Canada. The Prime Minister would then consult this list when making appointments to the Senate.
Full reform of the Senate would require a Constitutional amendment that would be a long, difficult process so we are moving forward with changes that can be implemented by Parliament. Another example of our new Government’s efforts to reform the Senate can be found in the legislation that proposes to limit Senators’ terms to eight years - roughly the equivalent of the lifespan of two consecutive majority governments. The fact that Senators can be - and sometimes are - appointed for terms of 15, 30, even 45 years is just not acceptable to many Canadians.
You can be sure our Government will continue to get things done to make government more accountable to Canadians in the New Year. I would like to take this opportunity to wish all residents of the Constituency of Wetaskiwin a happy and prosperous 2007.
If you wish more information on these or any federally related matters, please contact the Constituency office or my web site: www.blainecalkinsmp.ca