Declaration of Emergency Committee on April 30th, 2024

[Claude Carignan]

We are expecting documents in May. In addition, there will be a week-long break that month. So I would be more comfortable if we started or resumed this work once we have at least received the documents that the Privy Council Office has said it will submit. The documents I requested outline the positions of all parties involved and the arguments raised at the Rouleau Commission. I am hopeful that these documents will prove very useful, given that each lawyer analyzed the evidence and made representations based on their client's interest or position.

If we could at least study these documents, it would allow us to add a marker at certain places in the draft report where there may be evidence or something else to add. If we were to wait until the end of May to receive the missing documents and then held a meeting in early June, I could support the proposal.

[The Joint Chair, Hon. Gwen Boniface]

Senator Carignan, I'm not being disrespectful. I'm trying to look at the calendar to see the timing.

[Claude Carignan]

Yes, I know.

[The Joint Chair, Hon. Gwen Boniface]

You're suggesting, if I use as an example May 28, that we would have almost all of the documents, because they're giving them as they get them. Next week, obviously—

[Claude Carignan]

It's the week after.

[The Joint Chair, Hon. Gwen Boniface]

The week after, we'd be on break, and you're suggesting that when we come back from the break, we would start meeting and going through them.

It's essentially a one-week delay, I think. I'm sorry. I'm trying to figure this out.

[Claude Carignan]

Today is April 30. Parliament is sitting next week and then there's a week-long break.

According to the letter we received a few hours ago, the Privy Council Office will send the missing documents by May 30. If we receive them next week, we could meet earlier. We could meet once we have received the documents.

[The Joint Chair, Hon. Gwen Boniface]

Senator Harder, are you putting all of that together?

[Peter Harder]

Colleagues, I don't think we need to review the documents we receive in committee. We certainly don't need to decide today what to do about that.

Senator Carignan, I don't have a problem if later in our work, when we have received sufficient documents, we want to, before the fall, reflect them in our considerations. I just think we should get back to work and restore, as my Senate colleague suggests, some momentum, some focus and some urgency to our work.

The documents will come, and we will be able to assess them. They may or may not be of relevance, but we can decide that when we see them.

[Claude Carignan]

I'm sorry, but—

[The Joint Chair, Hon. Gwen Boniface]

Go ahead, Senator.

[Claude Carignan]

I'd like to say one thing.

I hate the suggestion that we're not working because we're waiting for documents to which we are constitutionally entitled. We work, we receive documents, we study them in depth. Just because we aren't meeting as a committee doesn't mean we aren't working. You can't say that the carpenter waiting for his nails isn't working because he's waiting for his nails.

[The Joint Chair, Hon. Gwen Boniface]

Mr. Brock.

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

Monsieur Carignan, in my opinion, has suggested a reasonable middle ground to this approach.

That being said, I'm moving an amendment to Mr. Green's motion asking that this committee resume its review of the draft report, commencing on Tuesday, May 28, 2024.

[The Joint Chair, Hon. Gwen Boniface]

Okay. Are there any comments on the amendment?

Mr. Maloney.

[James Maloney, Liberal, Etobicoke—Lakeshore, ON]

What does that mean we're doing on May 21?

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

We're waiting for the documents to arrive.

[James Maloney, Liberal, Etobicoke—Lakeshore, ON]

We're going to sit here and wait for documents to arrive. Why don't we—

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

We're not sitting.

[James Maloney, Liberal, Etobicoke—Lakeshore, ON]

Okay. I just want to be clear.

What do you mean? We are sitting that week. It's the previous week that we're not sitting. It means were not having a meeting the week we're sitting, which is the week of May 20.

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

With permission...I know I didn't have my hand up.

[The Joint Chair, Hon. Gwen Boniface]

Yes.

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

The whole idea, from listening to Senator Carignan, is that we expect another tranche of documents to be received by this committee over the next several days and several weeks. Presumably, most of that tranche will be delivered before May 28. That gives us roughly three to four consecutive Tuesdays before we rise.

[James Maloney, Liberal, Etobicoke—Lakeshore, ON]

Okay.

In that case, I will not support the amendment, because Mr. Green's motion allows us the latitude, when we receive the next tranche or the tranche after that, which we will continue to do—

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

It doesn't.