Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
I know Ms. Jansen is anxious to go to a vote, but there are still matters that need to be put on the record in relation to the amendment to Mr. Kelly's initial amendment.
It's been a long day for all of us; forgive me if I read at a pace that is not a normal pace. I'm going to try to get through something that, as I said, needs to be put on the record here. I'm not intending to read slowly, Mr. Chair, but when you're staring at a screen for hours on end, your eyes are likely to play tricks on you. If not tricks, it's a painful experience to look at a screen for hours on end; let's put it that way.
In any case, Mr. Chair, colleagues, I want to offer all of you a bit of a deep dive on the documents that were provided to opposition parties and to detail how the redactions completely adhere to the motion that was tabled before this committee. I also want to point out that this work was undertaken by the world-class, non-partisan, professional public service we have, who have helped us in such incredible ways through the COVID-19 crisis, and well beyond that, in accordance with their various obligations.
Let me start by reflecting on the motion that was tabled before this committee, which reads as follows:
That, pursuant to Standing Order 108(1)(a), the Committee order that any contracts concluded with We Charity and Me to We, all briefing notes, memos and emails from senior officials prepared for or sent to any Minister regarding the design and creation of the Canada Student Service Grant, as well as any written correspondence and records of other correspondence with We Charity and Me to We from March 2020 be provided to the Committee no later than August 8, 2020;
These next points are particularly relevant here:
that matters of Cabinet confidence and national security be excluded from the request; and that any redactions necessary, including to protect the privacy of Canadian citizens and permanent residents whose names and personal information may be included in the documents, as well as public servants who have been providing assistance on this matter, be made by the Office of the Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel of the House of Commons.
That was the motion. Let me return to the substance of my remarks.
This deep dive begins with the documents provided by the Privy Council Office.
As an example, Mr. Chair, let's start with page 49. I'm going to list pages, Mr. Chair, that might not align with what's been received most recently, but in any case, it doesn't take away anything from the substance of my remarks here.