Speech (committee meeting)

{
    "time": "2016-06-16 09:15:00",
    "attribution": {
        "en": "Mr. Jo\u00ebl Godin (Portneuf\u2014Jacques-Cartier, CPC)",
        "fr": "M. Jo\u00ebl Godin (Portneuf\u2014Jacques-Cartier, PCC)"
    },
    "content": {
        "en": "<p data-HoCid=\"4446062\" data-originallang=\"fr\">Thank you, Mr. Chair.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"4446063\" data-originallang=\"fr\">Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for joining us this morning. Your being here today helps us have confidence in VIA Rail. As you no doubt know, our job as members of this parliamentary committee is to ensure the best possible investment and use of taxpayers' money. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"4446064\" data-originallang=\"fr\">With that in mind, I want to read you an excerpt from the Auditor General's report.</p>\n<blockquote><p data-HoCid=\"4446065\" data-originallang=\"fr\"> \u2026VIA has received from the government only short-term approval of its funding and five-year corporate plan, and often late in the Corporation's fiscal year. In this context, VIA could not fulfil its mandate as economically, efficiently, and effectively as desired. The significant deficiency could also compromise the Corporation's medium- and long-term viability. </p>\n</blockquote><p data-HoCid=\"4446066\" data-originallang=\"fr\">I want to focus on that last statement, \u201cThe significant deficiency could also compromise the Corporation's medium- and long-term viability.\u201d </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"4446067\" data-originallang=\"fr\">Our duty, as parliamentarians, is to ask tough questions. We are responsible for taxpayers' money, and you have a mandate to carry out. And now we have this report from the Auditor General.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"4446068\" data-originallang=\"fr\">Mr. Desjardins-Siciliano, granted, you are new to the job and you have implemented measures, but do you think the existing measures, in addition to the ones your team will introduce and put in place, are enough to ensure VIA Rail's medium- and long-term viability?</p>",
        "fr": "<p data-HoCid=\"4446062\" data-originallang=\"fr\">Merci, monsieur le pr\u00e9sident.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"4446063\" data-originallang=\"fr\">Mesdames et messieurs, je vous remercie d'\u00eatre parmi nous ce matin. Je pense que votre pr\u00e9sence nous encourage \u00e0 croire en VIA Rail. Comme vous le savez sans doute, notre travail au sein de ce Comit\u00e9, \u00e0 titre de parlementaires, consiste \u00e0 nous assurer que l'utilisation des deniers publics est bien investie et est maximis\u00e9e.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"4446064\" data-originallang=\"fr\"> \u00c0 cet \u00e9gard, on constate que le rapport du v\u00e9rificateur g\u00e9n\u00e9ral mentionne ce qui suit: </p>\n<blockquote><p data-HoCid=\"4446065\" data-originallang=\"fr\"> [...] le plan d\u2019entreprise quinquennal et le financement de VIA n\u2019ont \u00e9t\u00e9 approuv\u00e9s par le gouvernement qu\u2019\u00e0 court terme et souvent tard au cours de l\u2019exercice financier de VIA. Dans ce contexte, VIA ne pouvait pas remplir son mandat avec l\u2019\u00e9conomie, l\u2019efficience et l\u2019efficacit\u00e9 souhait\u00e9es. Ce d\u00e9faut grave pourrait m\u00eame compromettre la viabilit\u00e9 \u00e0 moyen et \u00e0 long terme de la Soci\u00e9t\u00e9. </p>\n</blockquote><p data-HoCid=\"4446066\" data-originallang=\"fr\">Je voudrais surtout insister sur la phrase suivante: \u00ab Ce d\u00e9faut grave pourrait m\u00eame compromettre la viabilit\u00e9 \u00e0 moyen et \u00e0 long terme de la Soci\u00e9t\u00e9. \u00bb</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"4446067\" data-originallang=\"fr\">En tant que parlementaires, nous nous interrogeons. En effet, des deniers publics sont en cause et vous avez un mandat. En outre, nous avons ici le rapport du v\u00e9rificateur g\u00e9n\u00e9ral.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"4446068\" data-originallang=\"fr\"> Monsieur Desjardins-Siciliano, vous venez d'arriver \u00e0 ce poste et vous avez instaur\u00e9 des mesures, mais croyez-vous que les mesures en vigueur pr\u00e9sentement et celles qui seront pr\u00e9sent\u00e9es et mises en oeuvre par votre \u00e9quipe permettront d'assurer la viabilit\u00e9 \u00e0 moyen et \u00e0 long terme de VIA?</p>"
    },
    "url": "/committees/public-accounts/42-1/21/joel-godin-1/",
    "politician_url": "/politicians/joel-godin/",
    "politician_membership_url": "/politicians/memberships/4442/",
    "procedural": false,
    "source_id": "9004092",
    "document_url": "/committees/public-accounts/42-1/21/",
    "related": {
        "document_speeches_url": "/speeches/?document=%2Fcommittees%2Fpublic-accounts%2F42-1%2F21%2F"
    }
}