Hon. Renée Dupuis: I would like to ask Senator Marshall a question if she doesn’t mind.

[English]

Senator Dupuis: If I’ve understood the spirit of your proposal correctly, Senator Marshall, are you saying that a Committee of the Whole would not replace the work of the Standing Senate Committee on National Finance, for example? It could even study the matter after the Standing Senate Committee on National Finance does the groundwork. If I’ve understood correctly, are you saying that there could be two parallel ways of getting the answers to the questions you’re asking?

[English]

Senator Dupuis: Senator Marshall, thank you for answering the question I asked yesterday, which didn’t make it through the Senate interpretation systems.

With respect to the answer you provided today, do you think not only that the mandate of the Standing Senate Committee on National Finance should be revised to address the specific issue of statutory expenditures, but also that a Committee of the Whole could delve into the whole question you raised yesterday, which is an extremely important question about government accountability? Do you think a Committee of the Whole could be one way to achieve that?

[English]