Smoke and mirrors: phase one of the feds’ glib transparency moves
Treasury Board President Scott Brison on May 5 brought his government’s first-stage claims to move transparency forward to the House of Commons Access to Information Committee. With expectations high, those heralded benefits need closer scrutiny beyond the initial favourable headlines. Fee reduction: The news headlines highlighted that the Trudeau government would reduce access-to-information request fees. […]
‘Too early to tell’ if Liberals’ positive tone will last: Info czar
There has been a “change in tone” from the top, and a “very positive one,” when it comes to access to information, says Information Commissioner Suzanne Legault. “This is somewhat of a honeymoon period,” the federal watchdog told The Hill Times in an April 27 interview. “We will have to see whether the sunny ways […]
Feds still haven’t moved on opening up secretive Commons Board of Internal Economy
The Liberal government committed to opening up meetings of the powerful and secretive House of Commons Board of Internal Economy during the 2015 campaign, but six months into its mandate, there’s still no word on when or how this will happen. The latest minutes released from the House management board are from a Dec. 10, 2015 meeting. […]
Improving public service IT systems remains a ‘significant challenge’: Brison
Testifying at the House Government Operations and Estimates Committee, Treasury Board President Scott Brison declared that he wants the government “to become better as a procurer of enterprise-wide solutions.” He was speaking specifically to a question raised about the current rollout of the Public Services and Procurement department’s new consolidated pay system called Phoenix, which […]
‘This bill will save lives’: Liberal MP McKinnon on his bill up for debate tomorrow
Liberal MP Ron McKinnon says his private members bill, the Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act, will save lives. He is optimistic about the support he’s drummed up on both sides of the house ahead of the bill’s first day of debate in the House on Wednesday. The Coquitlam-Port Coquitlam, B.C. MPs bill, Bill C-224, formally […]
Liberals have in some respects ‘lost ground on fiscal transparency,’ says former PBO Page
Former parliamentary budget officer Kevin Page says, in some respects, the new Liberal government has backtracked on fiscal transparency in its 2016 budget. Mr. Page said, when looking at certain aspects highlighted by the Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer—such as a large adjustment to private-sector economists’ forecasts, cost projections for two years rather than […]
Doctor-assisted dying bill a ‘minimalist response’ to Supreme Court ruling, designed to pass: Ogilvie
The new medical-assistance-in-dying bill introduced by the government last week is a “minimalist response,” designed to pass with reduced objection, says Conservative Sen. Kelvin Kenneth Ogilvie, co-chair of the special Joint House and Senate Committee on Physician-Assisted Dying. He told The Hill Times the law, as it’s been introduced, will be challenged in the courts, and […]
Treasury Board strategic IT modernization report finished, June implementation planned
About five years into Shared Services Canada’s amalgamation of government IT, the Treasury Board has completed an “IT Strategic Plan.” According to department spokesperson Michael Gosselin, the plan “puts forward principles and supporting activities to ensure that it delivers IT services that are secure, reliable, agile and valued. This will enhance service delivery and increase […]
House more cordial, but so far Liberals have thin legislative agenda: Scheer
Despite a “very cordial” relationship among House leaders, the government’s legislative agenda has been thin and unproductive, says Conservative House Leader Andrew Scheer as MPs return for a spring sitting after a two-week break. “I’d say it’s cordial but it’s not productive,” Mr. Scheer told The Hill Times. “There’s really nothing that’s been introduced that […]
PBO report damages Liberals’ credibility on transparency
Last week, the Parliamentary Budget Office took the Trudeau government to task on a few aspects of its federal budget released March 22. A key complaint was that it included cost estimates for just two years instead of the normal five years. What’s more, it’s been learned that the Finance Department had provided the PBO […]
