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Edited
Hansard • Number 142
Thursday, October 23, 2003
Mr. Garry Breitkreuz (Yorkton—Melville, Canadian Alliance): Mr. Speaker, through access to information, a reporter was able to gain access to CSIS files. He received information on the Palestinian Islamic jihad fundraising activities, yet at the same time Canadians cannot find out about the Canadian Wheat Board activities. It is exempt from access to information. We cannot get an explanation as to why farmers received less for their wheat last year than the going world price. Why are the activities of the Canadian Wheat Board more secretive than our spy agency?
Hon. Ralph Goodale (Minister of Public Works and Government Services, Minister responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, indeed the Canadian Wheat Board publishes more information in the public domain than any other grain marketing agency in the world. All its records are thoroughly audited. It has undergone a special audit in the last year by the Auditor General. If the hon. member is at all interested in really getting answers to his questions, I invite him to call the Canadian Wheat Board and its auditor before a standing committee of this House and get every bit of information for which he could ever ask.
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M-481 — October 9, 2003 — Mr. Breitkreuz (Yorkton—Melville) — On or after Thursday, October 23, 2003 — That, in the opinion of this House, the government should amend the Access to Information Act to include the Canadian Wheat Board under the definition of “government institution” as listed in Schedule 1 and make all consequential amendments required.