SPEECH BY ROGER GALLAWAY, MP

MEETING OF THE FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE

OTTAWA, OCTOBER 22, 2002

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Excerpt from Pages 8 and 9

Let me briefly explain responsible government.  Our system was designed to ensure that the roles of the executive and legislative branches should "jealously" guard their respective roles.  The legislative branch must call the executive to account for policy as reflected in legislation AND in day to day actions in the operations of departments.  What has in fact happened is quite the opposite.

First, policy formulation is largely now a bureaucratically driven process.  Sometimes that can be beneficial particularly when the subject matter is of a very technical nature.  Yet technical matters can only be adequately addressed when there is truly expertise in government departments.  The debacle around Kyoto is, in my opinion, proof positive that even very complex policy items should be left to MP's who understand the true implications.

A good example of unchecked policy nonsense becoming the law is the federal gun registry, a piece of legislation I today regrettably supported.  As a policy framework the objectives of that bill were handed over holus bolus to the "experts" at the federal Firearms Centre.  For 85 million dollars, according to testimony of departmental experts, a gun registry would be put in place that would trace the flow of guns in Canada.  This would be a real check on the flow of weapons to those with criminal tendencies.

Several years and perhaps a billion dollars later the bill is a shambles - it is a joke.  You in this room know something about financial projections, flow sheets, costing and estimates.  Can you imagine being out on an estimate by 1250% or twelve and half times wrong?

Do you not reasonably think there should be some repercussions for those who devised and promoted this policy and law?  I can only tell you that nothing has occurred while crime rates involving guns remain the same.

Another expensive dismal failure that came from a top down expert driven policy based law.  It is any wonder Canadians, and I count you among the sceptics, question just what and how this can be?  What happened to the legislative branch checks on the exclusive legislative agenda?

The answer is simple.  There was virtually none when the gun bill was passed.  There is virtually none today.  Members have little input on policy and virtually no impact on legislation.  Most government members have little idea how to oppose bad legislation.  I ask you (and do not expect an answer): What is responsible in that?

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Name:   Roger Gallaway, MP

Party:   Liberal Caucus

Constituency: Sarnia—Lambton

Province: Ontario

Telephone:  (613) 957-2649 

Fax: (613) 957-2655 

Email: Gallaway.R@parl.gc.ca

House of Commons

Ottawa, Ontario

K1A 0A6