Statement made on 07 November 2006 by Senator Marie P. Poulin (Charette)
Hon. Marie-P. Poulin:
Honourable senators, since being tabled in
Parliament on April 11, Bill C-2, which was to be the centrepiece of the
government's legislative policy, has lost its lustre as a result of the stream
of witnesses who appeared before the committees of both chambers. This
voluminous document covers everything from access to information to restrictions
on election financing.
When introduced — as mentioned previously by my colleagues — the bill
consisted of 234 pages and five major parts. It amended some 100 federal
statutes, created eight new organizations and positions, and gave additional
powers to current officers of Parliament.
It extended the application of the Access to Information Act and the Privacy
Act to include the following agents and officers of Parliament: the Auditor
General, the Information Commissioner, the Privacy Commissioner, the Official
Languages Commissioner, the Chief Electoral Officer, the Public Sector Integrity
Commissioner, the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Commissioner of
Lobbying. The bill also covers all Crown corporations and their wholly owned
subsidiaries, the Canadian Wheat board and five foundations.
The enormity of the bill cannot be underestimated. It is thanks to the
Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs that the flaws of
the bill were noted and amendments proposed to correct them. From the outset, I
have been interested in the bill within the bill, the purpose of the provision
in Part III being to enact the Director of Public Prosecutions Act.
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