The Canadian Alliance says transport minister David Collenette is in
contempt of Parliament because he has not presented a legally required
report to MPs on the activities of the grain handling system monitor
last year.
On March 1, Alliance transportation critic James Moore asked that
speaker Peter Milliken send the issue to a parliamentary committee for
hearings.
Arguments will resume when MPs return to the Hill March 11 after a
one-week break.
At issue is a section of the Canada Transportation Act that requires
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the transportation minister to prepare a report on grain monitor
activities by Jan. 31 of each year, six months after the July 31 end of
the crop year, and then to table it in Parliament within 15 sitting
days.
Moore said that deadline expired Feb. 28 and there is no report on the
results of Quorum Corp.’s first year as grain system monitor.
It was hired by the government under the provisions of Bill C-34,
passed in June 2000 to reform the grain handling rules.
Government house leader Ralph Goodale, who played a strong role in
drafting C-34 as minister responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board,
challenged Moore’s point.
He said there is a question of whether the countdown to the required
reporting date has actually started yet. He said it depends on the
interpretation of the finer points of the wording of the law.
MPs on both sides will argue that point as early as this week.
Although it is rare for a speaker to find a minister in contempt of
Parliament, Milliken earlier this winter put defence minister Art
Eggleton in the hot seat over a question of parliamentary privilege.
The opposition accused Eggleton of misleading the House of Commons with
contradictory answers.
The speaker agreed there was enough evidence and Eggleton now is
suffering through the spectacle of senior military officers testifying
that the minister did not seem to understand their briefings.
On the Collenette issue, opposition sources say the committee likely
would hear that a report was not tabled because of government
infighting.
A report from Quorum was prepared, they say, but there have been
disagreements between wheat board and Transport Canada officials over
what message should be given to MPs.
