I call to order the tenth meeting of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics.
Our order of the day is to study the Mulroney Airbus settlement, pursuant to the following resolution adopted by the committee on November 22, 2007:
That in order to examine whether there were violations of ethical and code of conduct standards by any office holder, the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics review matters relating to the Mulroney Airbus settlement, including any and all new evidence, testimony and information not available at the time of settlement and including allegations relating to the The Right Honourable Brian Mulroney made by Karlheinz Schreiber and, in particular, the handling of allegations by the present and past governments including the circulation of relevant correspondence in the Privy Council Office and Prime Minister's Office;
Good morning, colleagues. I want to advise you that there likely will be a vote at 10 o'clock. We will get an indication as to the time of the bells. We may have to suspend. I will keep you informed.
First of all, I'd like to ask the indulgence of everyone in the room to maintain as much silence as possible. It is important that there be no distractions or disruptions that may interfere with the ability of the witness or the members to speak or to hear clearly what is being said. Secondly, I would ask you to please turn off any and all cellphones now.
This meeting will proceed until approximately 1 p.m. In view of the duration, I will be suspending the proceedings at appropriate times for health breaks.
Our witness today is the The Right Honourable Brian Mulroney, former Prime Minister of Canada. He is accompanied by Mr. Guy Pratte, who may advise his client but who may not address the committee.
Good morning, gentlemen.
Mr. Mulroney, I expect you will recall the rules, procedures, and traditions of the House of Commons. In particular, you will recall the general expectation that witnesses appearing before committee testify in a truthful and complete manner.
We could proceed on this understanding. Alternatively, would you feel more comfortable being formally sworn in by the clerk of the committee?