A special committee of MPs will review the Accountability Act. It is to be called the Legislative Committee on Bill C-2 and its members include:
- Monique Guay – BQ – Quebec
- Marlene Jennings – LIB – Quebec
- Tom Lukiwski – CON – Saskatchewan
- Pat Martin – NDP – Manitoba
- James Moore – CON – British Columbia
- Rob Moore – CON – New Brunswick
- Brian Murphy – LIB – New Brunswick
- Stephen Owen – LIB – British Columbia
- Daniel Petit – CON – Quebec
- Pierre Poilievre – CON – Ontario
- Benoît Sauvageau – BQ – Quebec
- Alan Tonks – LIB – Ontario
The Ottawa Citizen reports this morning that some Liberals are accusing the government of “stacking” this committee by appointing four Parliamentary secretaries to the committee. Normally, only the Parliamentary Secretary of the minister associated with the committee’s work would sit on the committee. In this case that would be Poilievre, the P.S. to Treasury Board president John Baird, who introduced the bill in Parliament.
But this committee also includes the Lukiwski, PS to House Leader and Minister for Democratic Reform Rob Nicholson; James Moore, PS to Public Works Minister Michael Fortier and to Minister for Pacific Gateway and Minister for the Olympics David Emerson; Rob Moore, and PS to Justice Minister Vic Toews. Petit is the only Conservative on the committee that is not a PS.
Liberal House leader Ralph Goodale complains that this arrangement threatens the independence of the committee.