I have returned to it.
I think the comment was made by Madame Lavallée specifically that ethics is not decided before the courts. That's true. That gets back to the issue that this committee, it is being alleged, particularly by members on the government side, is only going to be dealing with ethical standards. But by goodness, the law certainly is, the law as to whether something is illegal.... And both Madam Lavallée and Mr. Proulx, even in their submissions with respect to this motion, have used the word “illegal”. So we're veering from it.
I could bet your bottom dollar that if the members for the Canada Elections Act come before us, we're going to be using those questions and we're going to be veering from the words “ethical standards”. Hence they will be prejudicing, Mr. Chairman, the various groups I'm talking about--the lawsuit and the investigations.
Certainly civil actions will deal with all kinds of things. They'll deal with....
All right; you're always.... You're sometimes right, Mr. Chairman. Maybe I could move on to Mr. Nadeau. And he's an excellent fellow, I might add. He has said that Elections Canada has said that the Conservative Party has done something that is improper, and he is very careful not to use the word “illegal”. God bless him.
How does he know that? That's what the investigation is all about. Therefore, is he suggesting that we're going to do the same investigation that Elections Canada is doing? Will that be involved in the lawsuit between the Conservative Party of Canada and Elections Canada? Is that what he is saying? If he is, you can bet your bottom dollar the proceedings in this committee will be prejudicing those legal proceedings.
I'm having trouble reading my writing here. I won't be long.
Oh, this was an interesting one. Mr. Nadeau said he has evidence that staff and officials from the Conservative Party of Canada had strong reservations as to what was happening. He's giving evidence, for heaven sakes. How does he know that? You know, the only way those proceedings are going to take place is if we proceed with these hearings, and that's what is going to be going on in the lawsuits. That's what is going to be going on in the lawsuits of the civil action by the Conservative Party of Canada and the investigation by Elections Canada. He's just confirmed that we're going to be duplicating what is going on in these other proceedings, and there will be very strong prejudice to all of the parties involved.
He should be careful who he's making those.... I hope he doesn't go outside and make statements that certain staff and officials of the Conservative Party of Canada have said certain things. He should be very careful. It's very dangerous--through you, Mr. Chairman, to Mr. Nadeau--to do that, because there have been recent goings-on, particularly in the Liberal Party, and all of a sudden you have a libel action.
Let's leave it with the courts. Let's leave it with the civil action. Let's leave it with the criminal proceedings. Let's leave it with any investigation by the Ethics Commissioner. Let's not bring it into this committee.
Again, he used the words several times that improper means were used by the Conservative Party of Canada. Again, how does he know that? That's what is going to be determined by the courts. That's what is going to be determined by the action of the Conservative Party of Canada against Elections Canada. A judge is going to decide that. That's what is going to be decided in an investigation by Elections Canada and possibly by the Ethics Commissioner.
I'm almost finished, Mr. Chairman.