Kevin Page talks to Colin Horgan.
We know that these are tough decisions. It’s not easy to effectively reduce an escalator in the Canada Health Transfer, it has impacts on provinces. It’s not easy to tell seniors, or some seniors or people looking forward, ‘We’re going to make you wait an extra two years more.’ So the sense is: just tell them that without providing the analysis. And our argument is that, ‘No, that’s not the way Parliament should be.’ You created this office under the auspices of greater accountability, we want to give all parliamentarians this decision support analysis so they can have a broader debate, not just a financial debate…
My view is: Do we want Parliament to be more informed? Yes. Everybody says yes. Is Parliament working the way it is? No one says Parliament doesn’t need improving. Do we want the media to be more informed? I do. … Over time, they will be looking over our shoulders, they have to make sure I’m not a politician, they have to make sure we’re doing our homework and they have to hold us accountable in the same way they hold cabinet ministers accountable…. We want all that.
I love Dave Matthews, and he has this great song out that “belief is not enough.” Belief is not enough. You can’t take this job and pretend. If you want Parliament to be better, if you want the media to be more informed, you have to work at it. We work hard… to get these products in front of people and speak openly about it. So I think that model could continue. Post-March, my term is up, and if it’s not somebody with knowledge and experience, you’ll know right away it’s the government saying, ‘There’s nothing in it for us.’