You'll see a motorcycle going across at a fairly good rate of speed. You'll see in the top right of the picture three individuals approaching to cross the street. You'll see in the middle of the street our officer moving towards them in a yellow protective vest and having an engagement with the individuals who come to that side of the street, and you'll see the arrival of the motorcade. The motorcade is fairly lengthy, but at the conclusion of the motorcade the member is then escorted across the street and on his way, so the total elapsed time was quite short.
If I can refer now to these displays, they will illustrate the movement of the motorcade and the member of Parliament. The first, at 11:03:34 a.m. shows the motorcade at the corner of Bank and Wellington streets turning on to Bank Street. This is a representation of the motorcade turning on to this street here. These are the actual photographs with the time stamps, and we just saw the individuals and the engagement of our officer. As you saw in the video, three outrider motorbikes had already turned north on Bank and passed the entrance to the Hill. The member for Acadie—Bathurst, as indicated by the red arrow, is interacting with the RCMP and OPS members as they attempt to cross toward Lower Drive, the intended motorcade route.
The second picture, at 11:03:52 a.m. shows that the motorcade has begun to complete the turn onto Lower Drive and enter Parliament Hill. The member is now waiting with the police personnel here. This is not a real picture of the events as they transpired; it's an overview of the geography, and these are the video stills. You can see the motorcade represented here and you can see the motorcade represented in the top photo.
In the third, at 11:04:44 a.m. the motorcade has just entered through the Bank Street gate and is driving toward Centre Block. A police officer is seen escorting the member for Acadie—Bathurst across Bank Street and onto the Hill. The time stamp is at 11:04:44, and we were talking right there.
I would now like to walk you through the incident involving the Speaker of the House the following day. The Speaker of the House arrived at the vehicle screening facility at almost exactly the same moment that the motorcade carrying the President of Germany was scheduled to move away from the Centre Block. Security procedures to ensure that Lower Drive was clear of other traffic were already in motion. The Speaker of the House was immediately informed of this situation. I'm advised that the Speaker expressed some displeasure with the delay. The time between the motorcade beginning its departure from Centre Block and the restoration of access at the vehicle screening facility was approximately two minutes and two seconds.
With your permission again, Mr. Chair, I will play a video of this incident.
[Video Presentation]
The video is a compilation of two different security camera angles. The feeds have been synchronized to create a composite picture of the event. You can see the vehicle approaching at 10:06:26 and pulling into the screening device momentarily. The officer approaches the vehicle and has a conversation with the driver and the Speaker to advise them that the motorcade was departing Centre Block. At this time, although the audio is not present in this rendition, there is a representation of the radio communications between the officer and the command post advising the latter that it was indeed the Speaker who had arrived and that the Speaker was being delayed.
As you look to the left in the picture, you will see the motorcade beginning to depart the Hill. Compounded with this set of facts is the construction that is moved slightly closer to the road. The motorcade is approaching the vehicle screening device. Just now it is departing the grounds. As soon as the last vehicle passes the vehicle screening device, the Speaker will be on his way.
We do strive to ensure parliamentarians are not prevented from accessing the grounds or the buildings. It is unfortunate that these incidents happened at all, but all the more so given that both the Speaker of the House and the member of Parliament for Acadie-Bathurst were dealing with time-sensitive situations.
We do make all efforts to ensure Parliamentarians are not impeded in gaining access to the grounds or the buildings. It is unfortunate and regrettable that these incidents happened at all, but especially given that both the Speaker of the House and the member of Parliament for Acadie—Bathurst were dealing with time-sensitive situations.
It's our assessment based on a review of all the information gathered that the actions of RCMP members on both the 25th and 26th were guided by the need to ensure the safety of parliamentarians and the visiting dignitary. That said, the RCMP fully recognizes and respects the importance of privilege and of not impeding parliamentarians.
I have mentioned a number of measures we have supported and will continue to support, but I and we are also exploring additional measures to mitigate any interference with parliamentary privilege.
Thank you again for inviting me to participate in this committee. Thank you for your forbearance of these videos and pictures. When it's time, my colleagues and I will be happy to answer any questions.