Thanks very much, Chair.
The seriousness of the contents of the letter from the lawyers representing Marc and Craig Kielburger has to be addressed. It is the reason I put a motion on notice, which I will read in just a moment, for the committee's consideration.
The committee went to great lengths—specifically, our committee clerk worked over several months—to secure an appearance by the proposed witnesses, Marc and Craig Kielburger. We bent and worked with their schedule, and had a scheduled date. That date no longer worked for them. The committee found a new date that would work. In the days leading up to that meeting, we received this letter from the Kielburgers' lawyer. It said that they wouldn't appear at this committee. Not only would they not appear in response to the invitation; they also stated they would not appear if a summons were issued for them.
That's incredibly serious. Our committee and Canada's Parliament have the right to request that witnesses appear. We also have the right to issue a summons. For individuals to openly dismiss the invitations and to pre-emptively say that they will not respond to a summons really is flouting the legitimacy and the authority of Canada's Parliament. The letter from their legal counsel was, I think, shocking, and it was highly inappropriate.
These two gentlemen are both recipients of the Order of Canada and they often wear their pins on their lapel. For them to demonstrate to Canadians and to all the schoolchildren—they've appeared at their schools and invited them to events with their organization—that what they are doing is important but what Canada's democratically elected members are doing is not is absolutely the wrong message to send.
I will be moving a motion now that this committee do issue summons for both of these individuals, as follows:
That, pursuant to Standing Order 108(1)(a), and further to the motions adopted by the Committee on January 29 and February 19, 2021, in light of Craig and Marc Kielburger’s refusals to attend the Committee on March 8, 2021, summonses do issue to Craig and Marc Kielburger to appear before the Committee, for at least three hours, at a date and time determined by the Chair but no later than one week following the adoption of this motion, provided that if either or both of them fails to appear after being served with the summons, or refuses or evades service of the summons, the Chair shall be instructed to present a report to the House forthwith setting out the relevant facts.
Chair, that motion was put on notice last week. It's available in both official languages. I, of course, will be supporting this motion, and would encourage all of my colleagues on committee to do the same.
Thank you.