With all due respect to my colleague Mr. Virani, that is not a legal interpretation of what has just transpired. We had a senior government official—in fact, apart from the Minister of Justice and the Attorney General, the highest senior official from the Department of Justice—refuse to answer a question posed by a committee member, without citing cabinet confidentiality, without citing solicitor and client privilege.
I wholeheartedly disagree with Mr. Virani's interpretation that the mere fact that a legal opinion was prepared and delivered to the government constitutes privilege. It's ludicrous. We are not asking at this stage for the content or the theme. We're not asking whether or not it was delivered in person or by email. We're not asking about the date.
The question posed by Monsieur Fortin was very general: Did you sign a legal opinion before the Emergencies Act was invoked? To which the witness stated very emphatically that he refused to answer the question. I am asking, Mr. Chair, that you direct the witness to respond appropriately, as opposed to a simple refusal.