After snub, committee orders departments to produce documents

OTTAWA – A top Commons committee has ordered several federal departments to produce documents they were supposed to turn over many months ago.

The Public Accounts Committee had passed a motion in October 2011 directing government bodies that had been studied by the auditor general to table action plans within six months.

A year-and-a-half later, several including the Defence Department and Agriculture Canada had not complied with the motion.

Committee chairman David Christopherson says the committee has now passed a motion giving them an extended six months — but with the warning there will be new policing of those who snub the committee.

A committee’s right to request documents is one of Parliament’s key tenets.

The committee is also in the process of studying an NDP motion that would require the Finance department to table long-term fiscal analyses drafted between 2010-2012.