A representative of the Governor General and another from the Department of National Defense will be invited to testify before a parliamentary committee on the expenses incurred during a recent trip to the Middle East by the Queen’s representative.
The Bloc members finally passed this substantially amended motion on Tuesday evening by returning to the charge at the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates, after having suffered a first failure at the Standing Committee on Public Accounts at the start of the day.
The revelations to the effect that the bill for some meals served on board the government plane was more than $80,000 have aroused the indignation of the political class in recent days. According to the calculations of the Bloc Québécois, that would represent lunches and dinners at $350 per person.
” For someone who has already needed food banks, I remember my words because there, there are words, typical Quebec swear words that feel like coming out. “
His original motion called for Governor General Mary Simon or a member of her office be invited to testify, but the Conservatives had it amended to be only his representative, believing that the committee cannot summon the Governor General.
NDP MP Gord Johns thanked the Bloc Québécois for its excellent motiona clear signal that he was in favor and that the motion had a good chance of passing.
Amendments
The Liberals subamended the motion to add the presence of a representative from the Department of National Defence.
” She [la gouverneure générale] was on the flight, but it was not she or her office who incurred or approved these expenses, [mais l’Aviation royale canadienne]. “
Earlier in the discussions, Mr. Housefather had insisted that the motion was not admissible in this committee and that it belonged to that of National Defence. When the committee chair told him the motion was in order, he forced a vote to overturn that decision, an attempt that failed.
In the discussions, the Bloc member noted that she can’t believe that the Department of National Defense decide what the Governor General is going to eat without her having a word to say.
The motion was eventually passed unanimously by all parties.
The leader of the Bloc Québécois in the House of Commons, Alain Therrien, explained Wednesday morning that his political party had agreed to water down his motion in order to achieve the fundamental objective of accountability.
” We want to have the total portrait of what happened during this princely trip. And the only way to have the agreement of the other parties was to water down our motion so that it could pass. “
The testimony should be held no later than September 23 and have a duration of two hours, according to the text of the motion.
The Canadian Press
Source: Radio-Canada
