“Strengthening Parliamentary Scrutiny of Estimates and Supply” may not sound like the title of a summer blockbuster, but the Government Operations Committee of the House of Commons has such a report that clearly states that Parliament should reassert its supremacy in exercising accountability over government.
The Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates (OGGO) has a majority of Conservative members, is chaired by a member of the NDP with Liberal and Conservative Vice-Chairs. It is a tribute to both the MPs’ commitment and the gravity of the issue that such a diverse group of parliamentarians could produce a report with real substance.
The primary duty of Parliament since the signing of the Magna Carta in 1215 is to keep a vigilant and critical eye on how government raises and spends our money. It is Parliament’s responsibility to restrain government from committing the kinds of actions that only happen if no one is watching, and to sound the alarm if government fails to treat our taxes with respect. Unfortunately Parliament’s authority has been steadily eroding over the past decades, therefore, it is gratifying to see our current Members reasserting their authority.
It is not just in Canada that parliamentarians need to reassert their authority. Parliamentarians around the world have failed to represent their constituents, thereby allowing dictators and corruption to flourish. Periodically we see revolutions (the Arab Spring) or civil war (Syria) but developing parliaments into serious institutions of democratic accountability to create prosperity takes much time and unsung effort.
No one votes for poverty yet we see misery and despair around the world; mostly due to parliamentarians who do not or will not exercise democratic accountability over their government.
GOPAC engages parliamentarians in many countries to build parliamentary coalitions to combat corruption, educate parliamentarians in their responsibilities and to provide leadership for better governance.
In September GOPAC will hold a high-level meeting in the European Parliament for a few elected representatives from nations with presidential style governments to analyse how we can improve democratic oversight in presidential systems.
The struggle to improve democracy is on-going but not always on the front page. It is gratifying to know that Canadian parliamentarians are playing their part, not just in the House of Commons but also through GOPAC to improve democratic accountability (and prosperity) in other countries.
Original Article
Source: ipolitics
Author: John Williams
The Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates (OGGO) has a majority of Conservative members, is chaired by a member of the NDP with Liberal and Conservative Vice-Chairs. It is a tribute to both the MPs’ commitment and the gravity of the issue that such a diverse group of parliamentarians could produce a report with real substance.
The primary duty of Parliament since the signing of the Magna Carta in 1215 is to keep a vigilant and critical eye on how government raises and spends our money. It is Parliament’s responsibility to restrain government from committing the kinds of actions that only happen if no one is watching, and to sound the alarm if government fails to treat our taxes with respect. Unfortunately Parliament’s authority has been steadily eroding over the past decades, therefore, it is gratifying to see our current Members reasserting their authority.
It is not just in Canada that parliamentarians need to reassert their authority. Parliamentarians around the world have failed to represent their constituents, thereby allowing dictators and corruption to flourish. Periodically we see revolutions (the Arab Spring) or civil war (Syria) but developing parliaments into serious institutions of democratic accountability to create prosperity takes much time and unsung effort.
No one votes for poverty yet we see misery and despair around the world; mostly due to parliamentarians who do not or will not exercise democratic accountability over their government.
GOPAC engages parliamentarians in many countries to build parliamentary coalitions to combat corruption, educate parliamentarians in their responsibilities and to provide leadership for better governance.
In September GOPAC will hold a high-level meeting in the European Parliament for a few elected representatives from nations with presidential style governments to analyse how we can improve democratic oversight in presidential systems.
The struggle to improve democracy is on-going but not always on the front page. It is gratifying to know that Canadian parliamentarians are playing their part, not just in the House of Commons but also through GOPAC to improve democratic accountability (and prosperity) in other countries.
Original Article
Source: ipolitics
Author: John Williams
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