When our Conservative government was first elected in 2006, we promised Canadians that we would bring change to the government structure, improving transparency and accountability to Canadians. Since 2006, we have taken a number of steps to improve government accountability. These include:
- Giving the Auditor General the power to follow government spending and audit outside organizations receiving government funding;
- Expanding the number of government institutions subject to the Access to Information Act; and
- Expanding the power of Officers of Parliament, and creating commissions for lobbying, conflict of interest and government ethics.
Recently, the all-party Board of Internal Economy (BOIE) approved Auditor General Sheila Fraser’s request to conduct an audit of House of Commons and Member of Parliament Expenses. Our government fully supports the board’s decision. This audit signifies a great victory for taxpayers, who deserve to know how their money is being spent.
Just as we expect government agencies to do, our government expects Parliament to limit its growth of expenses and to use its allowance efficiently. For four years, we have been working as a government to achieve this goal, and we have encouraged the opposition parties to work with us to achieve this goal.
