Declaration of Emergency Committee on June 7th, 2022

[The Joint Chair, NDP, Matthew Green]

Some or all, sir?

[François Daigle]

We'll see. I think we have to assemble them and go through them and see which ones we can produce without breaching some laws. Our hope is that by the end of the month we'll be able to pull those together.

[The Joint Chair, NDP, Matthew Green]

Did you conduct other consultations with departments and agencies to seek advice?

[François Daigle]

As I said, I participated in meetings with client departments throughout this, from mid-February—

[The Joint Chair, NDP, Matthew Green]

Would you be willing to provide the committee with details of the consultations you had with other departments pertaining to this as well?

[François Daigle]

As I said, we're going to be pulling documents together we can provide in order to respond to the motion that—

[The Joint Chair, NDP, Matthew Green]

Which documents could you not provide?

[François Daigle]

Excuse me...?

[The Joint Chair, NDP, Matthew Green]

Which documents are you unwilling to provide or refusing to provide?

[François Daigle]

As I explained, my minister appeared on the 26th and said that he wouldn't be providing legal opinions, so those are the instructions I have right now. If the government is going to decide otherwise, before the 30th, we'll let you know.

[The Joint Chair, NDP, Matthew Green]

Notes on consultations and briefing documents would not be legal opinions, necessarily. Would you be willing to provide those?

[François Daigle]

As I said, I am working with Public Safety and other departments to pull those documents together. We will be providing a set of documents to help the committee with their deliberations.

[The Joint Chair, NDP, Matthew Green]

Will that include security assessments?

[François Daigle]

I don't know if it's going to provide security assessments. You'll have to ask Public Safety and the other departments responsible for those reviews.

[The Joint Chair, NDP, Matthew Green]

Of course, given the stories.... You stated on the record, in your opening remarks, that there were no special orders in council. You said that emphatically. Then, of course, there was a story of two that were within the dates of the Emergencies Act. Is there a possible scenario where secret orders in council wouldn't have come to you, or you wouldn't know about them?

[François Daigle]

I can guarantee you that there are no secret orders related to the Emergencies Act.

[The Joint Chair, NDP, Matthew Green]

Is it just a coincidence that they happened to fall within those?

[François Daigle]

As far as I can tell, it's a coincidence. I haven't looked at the other two secret orders, those two orders that are reported, but I can tell you that all of the orders related to this have been made public.

[The Joint Chair, NDP, Matthew Green]

You haven't looked at them, but you can state with assurance that they're not part of this. How is that so, sir?

[François Daigle]

Because I've been involved in all of the orders related to the Emergencies Act.

[The Joint Chair, NDP, Matthew Green]

A secret order in council wouldn't require your involvement.

[François Daigle]

If there were another order related to the Emergencies Act, whether secret or not, I would know about it. I don't know about a secret order and, therefore, it doesn't exist.

[The Joint Chair, NDP, Matthew Green]

Okay.

[The Joint Chair, Bloc, Rhéal Fortin]

Right.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

[The Joint Chair, NDP, Matthew Green]

Thank you very much. We will now go on to Senator Boniface.

Senator, the floor is yours, for five minutes.