Thank you.
Thank you all for being here.
Mr. Speaker, I have a question of more general application than the specific estimates themselves, but it really goes to the opinion of you and your colleagues as to your effectiveness in being able to execute your responsibilities in the House of Commons in the face of what—as I understand from people who have been here much longer than I—is the deteriorating situation with respect to allegations that can really be classified as nothing other than defamation in the House.
I'm interested in your historical view of the issue of members' privilege, which, as I understand it, is an important privilege that grew out of the need to protect members of Parliament from the both the Crown and the courts, and to provide that space to speak freely and challenge and exchange ideas.
While I understand that if it were not under this privilege, it would be seen to be defaming other members, at least members have a chance to protect themselves and the Speaker has the opportunity to intervene in a number of different ways to try to correct that situation. But of increasing concern to me is the fact that, with CPAC and immediate publication of a defamation—not against another member, where there are some protections, but against any member of the public across Canada—we have a situation under parliamentary privilege that I think is contrary to a fundamental legal principle in our country, that if someone is harmed, there should be a remedy.
I'm wondering, first of all, if you agree there has been some decline in civility or an increase in comments that could be defamatory of people not within Parliament. And perhaps giving consideration to the Parent case as well, which showed some incursion of the courts—not in this way, but in another way—into the activities of MPs and in defining or narrowing the parliamentary privilege, do you feel satisfied you have the tools to do your job, or will the courts perhaps be convinced they have a role to play to protect the necessary remedies of Canadians affected by defamatory comments?
I must say, Mr. Speaker, I did ask this same question of Justice Rothstein during his appearance before the parliamentary committee, before his appointment to the Supreme Court of Canada, and he didn't burden me with his opinion on it.