From the outset, the minister asked to be trusted. For political leaders to be trusted, they must behave in a trustworthy manner. When a government ignores the main body that Parliament has created to protect the privacy of Canadians, when the Privacy Commissioner is not involved and is kept at a distance, how can we completely trust this government or one of its ministers?
Once again, this is not the scandal of the century, but it is one of a number of scandals—some much more serious than others—that undermine people's trust. If the government is asking to be trusted, our answer must be that it must deserve that trust and that it must act legally and transparently.
Why was this operation done in secret? Why not clearly tell the public exactly what was going to be done, why it was going to be done and what the result was going to be?
One must not justify one's behaviour retroactively. One must be transparent from the outset, put one's cards on the table and use the protection mechanisms that guarantee—