Reconciling expectations and reality in House of Commons committees: The case of the 1989 GST inquiry

Canadian Public Administration

Volumn 39, Issue 3, 1996, Pages 314-335

  Malloy, Jonathan ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO   (Canada)

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[No Author keywords available]

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EID: 1542429639     PISSN: 00084840     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1111/j.1754-7121.1996.tb00135.x     Document Type: Article

References (98)

1. J.R. Mallory, "Parliamentary Reform: Every Solution Creates a New Problem," Journal of Canadian Studies 14, no. 2 (Summer 1979), p. 26.
2. The general themes about Parliament are well known and, despite much talk, have not changed significantly in recent years. For an overview of the literature, see Michael M. Atkinson and Paul G. Thomas, "Studying the Canadian Parliament," Legislative Studies Quarterly 18, no. 3 (August 1993), pp. 423-51. The best-known post-1980 works on the House of Commons, the focus of this study, include C.E.S. Franks, The Parliament of Canada (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1987); Peter Aucoin, ed., Institutional Reforms for Representative Government (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1985); John C. Courtney, ed., The Canadian House of Commons: Essays in Honour of Norman Ward (Calgary: University of Calgary Press, 1985); and Robert J. Jackson and Michael M. Atkinson, The Canadian Legislative System: Politicians and Policymaking, 2nd revised edition [Canadian Controversies Series] (Toronto: Macmillan of Canada, 1980).
3. The general themes about Parliament are well known and, despite much talk, have not changed significantly in recent years. For an overview of the literature, see Michael M. Atkinson and Paul G. Thomas, "Studying the Canadian Parliament," Legislative Studies Quarterly 18, no. 3 (August 1993), pp. 423-51. The best-known post-1980 works on the House of Commons, the focus of this study, include C.E.S. Franks, The Parliament of Canada (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1987); Peter Aucoin, ed., Institutional Reforms for Representative Government (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1985); John C. Courtney, ed., The Canadian House of Commons: Essays in Honour of Norman Ward (Calgary: University of Calgary Press, 1985); and Robert J. Jackson and Michael M. Atkinson, The Canadian Legislative System: Politicians and Policymaking, 2nd revised edition [Canadian Controversies Series] (Toronto: Macmillan of Canada, 1980).
4. The general themes about Parliament are well known and, despite much talk, have not changed significantly in recent years. For an overview of the literature, see Michael M. Atkinson and Paul G. Thomas, "Studying the Canadian Parliament," Legislative Studies Quarterly 18, no. 3 (August 1993), pp. 423-51. The best-known post-1980 works on the House of Commons, the focus of this study, include C.E.S. Franks, The Parliament of Canada (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1987); Peter Aucoin, ed., Institutional Reforms for Representative Government (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1985); John C. Courtney, ed., The Canadian House of Commons: Essays in Honour of Norman Ward (Calgary: University of Calgary Press, 1985); and Robert J. Jackson and Michael M. Atkinson, The Canadian Legislative System: Politicians and Policymaking, 2nd revised edition [Canadian Controversies Series] (Toronto: Macmillan of Canada, 1980).
5. The general themes about Parliament are well known and, despite much talk, have not changed significantly in recent years. For an overview of the literature, see Michael M. Atkinson and Paul G. Thomas, "Studying the Canadian Parliament," Legislative Studies Quarterly 18, no. 3 (August 1993), pp. 423-51. The best-known post-1980 works on the House of Commons, the focus of this study, include C.E.S. Franks, The Parliament of Canada (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1987); Peter Aucoin, ed., Institutional Reforms for Representative Government (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1985); John C. Courtney, ed., The Canadian House of Commons: Essays in Honour of Norman Ward (Calgary: University of Calgary Press, 1985); and Robert J. Jackson and Michael M. Atkinson, The Canadian Legislative System: Politicians and Policymaking, 2nd revised edition [Canadian Controversies Series] (Toronto: Macmillan of Canada, 1980).
6. The general themes about Parliament are well known and, despite much talk, have not changed significantly in recent years. For an overview of the literature, see Michael M. Atkinson and Paul G. Thomas, "Studying the Canadian Parliament," Legislative Studies Quarterly 18, no. 3 (August 1993), pp. 423-51. The best-known post-1980 works on the House of Commons, the focus of this study, include C.E.S. Franks, The Parliament of Canada (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1987); Peter Aucoin, ed., Institutional Reforms for Representative Government (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1985); John C. Courtney, ed., The Canadian House of Commons: Essays in Honour of Norman Ward (Calgary: University of Calgary Press, 1985); and Robert J. Jackson and Michael M. Atkinson, The Canadian Legislative System: Politicians and Policymaking, 2nd revised edition [Canadian Controversies Series] (Toronto: Macmillan of Canada, 1980).
7. Atkinson and Thomas, "Studying the Canadian Parliament," Legislative Studies Quarterly, p. 425.
8. This article does not address the role of the Senate, which is complicated by its unelected membership and demands for either its abolition or transformation into a body of elected regional representatives.
9. For general discussion of committees specifically, see C.E.S. Franks, "The Committees of the Canadian House of Commons: 1984-1993," a paper presented to the International Political Science Association, Berlin, 1994, and his "The Dilemma of the Standing Committee of the Canadian House of Commons," Canadian Journal of Political Science 4, no. 4 (December 1971) pp. 461-76; Paul Thomas, "The Standing Committees of the House of Commons" (Ph.D. diss., University of Toronto, 1975); and Magnus Gunther, "Reform of the Committee System," in Magnus Gunther and Conrad Winn, eds., House of Commons Reform (Ottawa: Parliamentary Internship Programme, 1991).
10. For general discussion of committees specifically, see C.E.S. Franks, "The Committees of the Canadian House of Commons: 1984-1993," a paper presented to the International Political Science Association, Berlin, 1994, and his "The Dilemma of the Standing Committee of the Canadian House of Commons," Canadian Journal of Political Science 4, no. 4 (December 1971) pp. 461-76; Paul Thomas, "The Standing Committees of the House of Commons" (Ph.D. diss., University of Toronto, 1975); and Magnus Gunther, "Reform of the Committee System," in Magnus Gunther and Conrad Winn, eds., House of Commons Reform (Ottawa: Parliamentary Internship Programme, 1991).
11. For general discussion of committees specifically, see C.E.S. Franks, "The Committees of the Canadian House of Commons: 1984-1993," a paper presented to the International Political Science Association, Berlin, 1994, and his "The Dilemma of the Standing Committee of the Canadian House of Commons," Canadian Journal of Political Science 4, no. 4 (December 1971) pp. 461-76; Paul Thomas, "The Standing Committees of the House of Commons" (Ph.D. diss., University of Toronto, 1975); and Magnus Gunther, "Reform of the Committee System," in Magnus Gunther and Conrad Winn, eds., House of Commons Reform (Ottawa: Parliamentary Internship Programme, 1991).
12. For general discussion of committees specifically, see C.E.S. Franks, "The Committees of the Canadian House of Commons: 1984-1993," a paper presented to the International Political Science Association, Berlin, 1994, and his "The Dilemma of the Standing Committee of the Canadian House of Commons," Canadian Journal of Political Science 4, no. 4 (December 1971) pp. 461-76; Paul Thomas, "The Standing Committees of the House of Commons" (Ph.D. diss., University of Toronto, 1975); and Magnus Gunther, "Reform of the Committee System," in Magnus Gunther and Conrad Winn, eds., House of Commons Reform (Ottawa: Parliamentary Internship Programme, 1991).
13. See Harry Eckstein, "Case Study and Theory in Political Science," in Fred Greenstein and Nelson Polsby, eds., Handbook of Political Science, Volume 7: Strategies of Inquiry (Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley Publishing, 1975).
14. Since it was dealing with a high-profile public issue, the committee also attracted, quite atypically, immense attention in the media. However, the fact that the committee was dealing with such an explosive and divisive topic did not seem to reduce members' expectations of what could be accomplished, as I discuss below. A further advantage of studying the GST inquiry is that it remains vivid in participants' memories and is well-documented in the media and in other sources.
15. As of May 1996, the House of Commons had nineteen standing committees, each with eleven to fifteen members. Each member of Parliament, from the three recognized parties, other than the Speaker and deputy speakers, party leaders, ministers, house leaders and whips, sits on one committee and usually serves as a non-voting "associate member" on a second committee.
16. See Paul Thomas, "Effectiveness of Parliamentary Committees." Parliamentary Government, 45 (August 1993).
17. United Kingdom, House of Commons, Liaison Committee, Report on Committee Effectiveness, as reprinted in Parliamentary Government 45 (June 1993), para. 38.
18. United Kingdom, House of Commons, Liaison Committee, Report on Committee Effectiveness, as reprinted in Parliamentary Government 45 (June 1993), para. 38.
19. United Kingdom, House of Commons, Second Report from the Select Committee on Procedure (1989-90 session), The Working of the Select Committee System (October 1990), p. lxxii, para. 327.
20. Liaison Committee, Report, para. 44.
21. See, for example, Ibid., para. 39.
22. Ibid., para. 35.
23. This distinction was pointed out to me by J.E. Hodgetts.
24. René Soetens, Conservative MP for Ontario, 1988-93 [interview], 3 June 1994.
25. See Franks, Parliament of Canada, pp. 72-9; Michael M. Atkinson and David C. Docherty, "Moving Right Along: The Roots of Amateurism in the Canadian House of Commons," Canadian Journal of Political Science 25, no. 2 (June 1992), pp. 295-318.
26. See Franks, Parliament of Canada, pp. 72-9; Michael M. Atkinson and David C. Docherty, "Moving Right Along: The Roots of Amateurism in the Canadian House of Commons," Canadian Journal of Political Science 25, no. 2 (June 1992), pp. 295-318.
27. Committee memberships are commonly changed at the start of each parliamentary session, and few MPS sit on the same committee for an entire Parliament.
28. Patrick Sobeski, Conservative MP for Cambridge, 1988-93 [interview], 24 May 1994.
29. S.L. Sutherland, "The Al-Mashat Affair: Administrative Responsibility in Parliamentary Institutions," CANADIAN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION 34, no. 4 (Winter 1991), p. 573-603.
30. Jackson and Atkinson, The Canadian Legislative System, p. 148.
31. Paul Thomas, "The Role of National Party Caucuses" in Party Government and Regional Representation in Canada, Volume 36, coordinated by Peter Aucoin [Series of studies commissioned by the Royal Commission on the Economic Union and Development Prospects for Canada and the University of Toronto Press] (Ottawa: Supply and Services Canada, 1985), p. 78.
32. Peter C. Dobell, "Some Comments on Parliamentary Reform," in Peter Aucoin, ed., Institutional Reforms for Representative Government (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1985), p. 46.
33. Ibid., pp. 49-50; see also Franks, Parliament of Canada, pp. 108-15. On regional issues, see Grace Skogstad, "Interest Groups, Representation and Conflict Management in the Standing Committees of the House of Commons," Canadian Journal of Political Science 18, no. 4 (December 1985), pp. 739-72.
34. Ibid., pp. 49-50; see also Franks, Parliament of Canada, pp. 108-15. On regional issues, see Grace Skogstad, "Interest Groups, Representation and Conflict Management in the Standing Committees of the House of Commons," Canadian Journal of Political Science 18, no. 4 (December 1985), pp. 739-72.
35. Ibid., pp. 49-50; see also Franks, Parliament of Canada, pp. 108-15. On regional issues, see Grace Skogstad, "Interest Groups, Representation and Conflict Management in the Standing Committees of the House of Commons," Canadian Journal of Political Science 18, no. 4 (December 1985), pp. 739-72.
36. For a wider discussion of these reforms, see Magnus Gunther, "The Lefebvre and McGrath Parliamentary Reform Committees - A Review," in Magnus Gunther and Conrad Winn, eds., House of Commons Reform (Ottawa: Parliamentary Internship Programme, 1991); also Canadian Study of Parliament Group, Year 7: A Review of the McGrath Committee Reforms (Ottawa: Canadian Study of Parliament Group, 1992).
37. For a wider discussion of these reforms, see Magnus Gunther, "The Lefebvre and McGrath Parliamentary Reform Committees - A Review," in Magnus Gunther and Conrad Winn, eds., House of Commons Reform (Ottawa: Parliamentary Internship Programme, 1991); also Canadian Study of Parliament Group, Year 7: A Review of the McGrath Committee Reforms (Ottawa: Canadian Study of Parliament Group, 1992).
38. For a discussion of the committee's early exploits, see John Holtby, "The Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs," Parliamentary Government 6, no. 3 (1986), pp. 13-15.
39. See, for example, NDP MP Nelson Riis's comments in Ibid.
40. Chairmanships (and committee memberships) are normally extensively reshuffled at the start of each parliamentary session. See, for example, Michael M. Atkinson and Kim Richard Nossal, "Executive Power and Committee Autonomy in the Canadian House of Commons: Leadership Selection, 1968-1979," Canadian Journal of Political Science 13, no. 2 (June 1980), pp. 287-308.
41. Interviews for this study were sought from all sixteen committee members and former minister of finance Michael Wilson, along with public servants, interest group witnesses and committee and personal staff. Six MPS, including Blenkarn, were interviewed; another six, all of whom were defeated in the 1993 election, did not respond to repeated requests for interviews; and the other four, all senior members of the Chrétien government, could not be interviewed due to time constraints. I want to thank all for their time and candour.
42. For a discussion of the major options then under consideration, see Wayne R. Thirsk, "The Value-Added Tax in Canada: Saviour or Siren Song?" Canadian Public Policy 13, no. 3 (September 1987), pp. 259-83.
43. Canada, House of Commons, Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs, Minutes of Proceedings and Evidence, Report to the House, Sixteenth Report. 33rd Parliament, 2nd Session, no. 148 (Ottawa: Queen's Printer, 1988), p. 3.
44. Ann Robinson, "The Treasury and Civil Service Committee," in Gavin Drewry, ed., The New Select Committees (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1985), p. 272-3.
45. Ibid., p. 273.
46. Interviews with Michael Wilson, 30 June 1994, and with Don Blenkarn, 30 May 1994.
47. Michael Sabia, director of the sales and excise tax division, Department of Finance in 1989 [telephone interview], 6 June 1994.
48. Jack Aubry, "New Tax Open to Alteration, Says Blenkarn," The Ottawa Citizen 23 August 1989, p. A3.
49. Terrance Wills, "Tories Demand Paper Retract Tax Cut Story," The Gazette (Montreal) 27 August 1989, p. A1.
50. Interview with the author.
51. Interview with the author.
52. Interview with the author.
53. Canada, House of Commons, Standing Committee on Finance, Minutes of Proceedings and Evidence. 34th Parliament, 2nd Session, no. 31, 18 September 1989 (Ottawa: Supply and Services Canada, 1989), p. 7.
54. Ibid.
55. Interview with the author.
56. Lorne Nystrom, NDP MP for Yorkton-Melville [interview], 20 June 1994.
57. Blenkarn to the author [letter], 11 May 1994.
58. No tabulation of expenditures for the GST inquiry alone is available. According to Susan Baldwin, the finance committee clerk in 1994, records are kept only by fiscal year, (interview, July 1994)
59. Some observers may argue that the extensive media coverage of the committee crippled its policy-making role and prompted instinctive opposition attacks and government defences of the proposal. However, the Conservative backbenchers, and particularly Blenkarn, used the media coverage to both extol the virtues of the basic proposal and to promote their own suggested amendments. The media coverage of this high-profile issue may have increased the MPS' belief that they were policy-makers, but this merely underlines the problem of insatiable expectations when a committee is given a chance to play a substantial role.
60. This does not include the four public servants from the Department of Finance who appeared at the beginning and at the end of the inquiry. At times, these sessions became quite acrimonious, as Opposition MPS debated with the Finance officials over the merits of the proposal. The status and role of public-service witnesses before committees has never been adequately set out, whether the committee is considering policies or whether it is investigating incidents; however, see Canada, Privy Council Office, Guidelines for Public Service Witnesses (Ottawa: PCO, 1987).
61. Oral witnesses were selected from their written submissions by a steering committee comprising the senior MP from each party - Blenkarn, Young and Nystrom - but largely dominated by Blenkarn. Nevertheless, when interviewed for this study, Nystrom stated that "we got everyone on that we wanted," and Jerry Pickard, Liberal MP for Essex-Kent, 1988 to present, indicated that his party was also generally satisfied with the arrangements. (telephone interview, 14 June 1994).
62. Leslie A. Pal, "Advocacy Organizations and Legislative Politics: The Effect of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms on Interest Lobbying of Federal Legislation, 1989-91," in F. Leslie Seidle, ed., Equity and Community: The Charter, Interest Advocacy and Representation (Montreal: Institute for Research on Public Policy, 1993), p 121.
63. Interview with the author, 30 June 1994.
64. A. Paul Pross, "Parliamentary Influence and the Diffusion of Power," Canadian Journal of Political Science 18, no. 2 (June 1985), pp. 235-66; and see also his Group Politics and Public Policy, 2nd edition (Don Mills: Oxford University Press Canada, 1992).
65. A. Paul Pross, "Parliamentary Influence and the Diffusion of Power," Canadian Journal of Political Science 18, no. 2 (June 1985), pp. 235-66; and see also his Group Politics and Public Policy, 2nd edition (Don Mills: Oxford University Press Canada, 1992).
66. Pal, "Advocacy Organizations and Legislative Politics," in Seidle, Equity and Community, p. 121.
67. Ibid.
68. F. Leslie Seidle, "Interest Advocacy Through Parliamentary Channels: Representation and Accommodation," in F. Leslie Seidle, ed., Equity and Community: The Charter, Interest Advocacy and Representation (Montreal: Institute for Research on Public Policy, 1993), p. 200.
69. Interview with the author, 20 June 1994.
70. Lorne Nystrom, in interview with author.
71. Standing Committee on Finance, Minutes, no. 47, 30 September 1989, p. 40.
72. Interviews with the author.
73. Both the New Democratic and Liberal minority reports condemned not just the GST but the Mulroney government's entire tax policy since 1984. The NDP suggested specific policy alternatives such as a minimum corporate tax. The Liberals had no policy alternatives but suggested that the "most desirable alternative" to the GST was the finance minister's resignation.
74. Norm Ovenden, "'No Free Ride' On GST," The Edmonton Journal 20 December 1989, p. A1.
75. Interview with the author.
76. Stevens Wild, "Wilson Firm on 9% Tax Rate," The Winnipeg Free Press 16 September 1989, p. A6.
77. "GST Criticism Grows Louder But Mulroney Holds Ground," Financial Post, 20 September 1989, p. 4.
78. Interview with the author.
79. Interviews with Don Blenkarn, René Soetens, Michael Wilson and Michael Sabia.
80. Participants' memories of these sessions inevitably conflicted, leaving many aspects unclear to the researcher. While the meetings may have influenced the final government policy, committee members felt they had a much greater effect than Wilson and Sabia were willing to concede.
81. Interview with Michael Sabia.
82. Rod Seiling, Racetracks of Canada, Inc. [telephone interview], 21 July 1994.
83. Interview with the author.
84. Interview with the author.
85. Interview with the author.
86. Interview with the author.
87. Interview with the author.
88. Interview with the author.
89. Murray Dorin, [telephone interview], MP for Edmonton Northwest, 1984-1993, 28 July 1994.
90. Interview with the author.
91. Pickard [telephone interview], 14 June 1994.
92. This was recommended by the 1993 standing committee on house management. See Canada, House of Commons, Standing Committee on House Management, Report on Parliamentary Reform, Eighty-Second Report, 34th Parliament, 3rd Session, no. 53, 2 April 1993 (Ottawa: Supply and Services Canada, 1993), pp. 21-2.
93. After being significantly boosted in the mid-1980s, committee budgets and staff levels are again being reduced as part of the Chrétien government's belt-tightening fiscal policies.
94. Canada, House of Commons, Special Committee on Reform of the House of Commons, Third Report (Ottawa: Queen's Printer, 1985), pp. 5-10.
95. Canadian Study of Parliament Group, Year 7, p. 17.
96. Sharon Sutherland and Y. Baltacioglu, Parliamentary Reform and the Federal Public Service (London, Ont.: University of Western Ontario, School of Business Administration, National Centre for Management Research and Development, 1988), p. 159.
97. Hugh Winsor, "Fiscal Agenda Overtakes CBC Report: Ottawa's Deficit Reduction Efforts Marginalized Committee Study," The Globe and Mail (Toronto) 21 June 1995, p. E6. In fairness to the committee, it should be noted that the government broke its guarantee of stable CBC funding partway through the committee proceedings.
98. See Franks, "The Dilemma of the Standing Committees of the Canadian House of Commons," Canadian Journal of Political Science.