Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have heard from people who have spoken on this side of the House who said, "We believe that an independent body is needed." We have heard from the other side that this moves things at an arms-length from this House. Mr. Speaker, what that means is that political interference is removed. As you know, this House sets policy. An independent body would have to follow the policy set in place by this House. What we are saying is that we believe we need an independent agency to be accountable for enforcing the policies that are set by this House.
Mr. Speaker, we have heard about the issues of costs. If, in fact, no funds were moved to departments, and I believe that Mr. Krutko was right that supplementary funds were approved, but if no funds were moved to departments, then that means that they had to take more money out of programs and services to put into human resources. And as I mentioned earlier, we have seen a dramatic increase in the numbers of people performing those functions. That means we are spending way more than what we were for far fewer people.
There is no way that you could not find a way to build a Public Service Commission into this process, bring some equity and fairness or ensure equity and fairness across government, and consistent application of our policies, and not find ways to economize. Mr. Handley urged us to slow down. Mr. Speaker, two days ago he was in this House and in a new pair of running shoes, urging us to be quick on our feet, ready to take advantage of opportunities.
Now, we are talking about plodding along. There was a suggestion I believe Mr. Handley made, that we were pushing the envelope by the dates that we had proposed. It seems strange to me that just yesterday Mr. Handley was defending those same target dates for a tax. This tax was not one that has been discussed by governments for years. It was not even one that had been discussed by Members for years.
So, maybe governments have not talked about a Public Service Commission for years, but Members have. The Minister is right. We have heard from our constituents, the consultation has taken place, and it is time to move on. Let us get this process going and deal with any problems that crop up as the bill is drafted. Let us see some action start, and start now. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I said earlier, I request a recorded vote.
-- Applause