The move is just one of many parliamentary reforms the government is hoping all parties will passAdrian Wyld/The Canadian Press
The Liberal government is promising to enhance the role of members of Parliament as watchdogs of public spending, kicking off talks on how to give MPs better information and resources to keep tabs on federal departments.
Government House Leader Dominic LeBlanc and Treasury Board President Scott Brison are planning to meet informally with interested MPs as soon as next week on how to improve the way MPs and committees review spending requests put forward by cabinet.
Committees are responsible for reviewing legislation, but they also have a lesser-known duty to review and vote on the spending plans of departments. Advocates for parliamentary reform have long pointed to this process – known as the estimates – as an avenue where MPs could have more influence in Ottawa if they received more detailed and useful financial information from government.
The move is just one of many parliamentary reforms the government is hoping all parties will pass during what Mr. Leblanc described Thursday as a potentially brief period of "goodwill" between political parties after the October federal election.
Other measures the government is asking all parties to consider and approve include the elimination of Friday sittings, a special Question Period where the Prime Minister answers all of the questions, and increased committee budgets so members have the ability to travel and conduct more thorough research.
Mr. LeBlanc laid out the government's wish list during an appearance before the Commons procedure and House affairs committee, which has been asked to debate the changes and to act quickly in recommending measures that all parties could support.
Eliminating Friday sittings – likely with longer sessions on Tuesdays and Wednesdays – would allow MPs to get back to their ridings earlier to spend more time with their families and constituents.
"It's not about taking Fridays off," said Mr. LeBlanc, who urged MPs not to turn the discussion into a partisan issue.
"We work in constituencies. People who elect us expect us to be present in our ridings," he said.
"We've got to resist the temptation to say, 'I can't believe they want to take a day off.' We all have to resist that race to the basement, and have an open conversation about what would modernize this place. That's one of the examples, but there are many others."
In fact, it was the Liberals under prime minister Jean Chrétien who had previously mocked the idea of a four-day sitting week when it was recommended in 2000 by Canadian Alliance leader Stockwell Day.
Mr. Day had proposed the idea during his beach-side news conference in Penticton, B.C., where he addressed the media in a wetsuit after arriving on a WaveRunner.
"A prime minister works seven days a week," Mr. Chrétien responded, effectively killing the idea for the next 15 years.
The Conservatives and NDP did not immediately reject the idea of eliminating Friday sittings.
NDP MP David Christopherson said the government's reform proposals appear to be "fair-minded," but that promises don't always translate into reality.
"The devil remains in the details," he said.
"I'm going to remain guardedly optimistic going forward."
Conservative MP Scott Reid said he would like to see the procedure committee review and recommend some changes quickly, while working on more complicated changes over time.
"There's no need for there to be a single report. It would be helpful to take the things we can all agree on quickly," he said.
Mr. LeBlanc agreed.
"Let's take advantage of what goodwill there is now," Mr. Leblanc said.