Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from Calgary Shepard for giving a shout-out to the vital estimates process. It really is the reason Parliament exists. In a lot of ways it goes back to King Edward saying “What touches all should be approved by all”.
With regard to the part of the WE scandal that was particularly odious, I am glad he brought up ministerial accountability. In the Treasury Board rules, the President of the Treasury Board is the guardian of the public purse. He or she should be the person caring for the public purse and making sure the rules are followed. In the WE scandal, the government ignored what is called the official language analysis. That is when a government program that has an interchange with both the English population and French population in Canada has to go through the official language analysis to ensure that the service can be delivered in both official languages. This is not a suggestion. It is a rule.
We heard from the President of the Treasury Board that they ignored this official language analysis in order to push through the money for the WE organization. I would like to hear what my colleague thinks about accountability and transparency when the very person in charge of guarding the public purse turns a blind eye to assist in a program that would benefit friends of the Liberal Party.