Foreign Affairs Committee on May 2nd, 2023

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Vancouver South, BC]

I am trying to answer.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

—not just to decide what he will or won't allow.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ali Ehsassi]

I will allow the minister to answer the question, in context, as part of his response.

Minister, the floor is yours.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

The question is this: How many staff do you have in your ministerial office, Minister?

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Vancouver South, BC]

We have a number of staff in my ministerial—

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

What's the number?

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Vancouver South, BC]

I can't remember off the top of my head.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Is it more or less than you had when you were Minister of Defence?

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Vancouver South, BC]

Well, if I can give you the context to explain, it's a little bit less. However, at that time, no, I did not have staff. I had one chief of staff at that time, with minimal staff at that time.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Okay, so the context was you had only one member of staff during that crisis, so you weren't checking your emails and you didn't have someone else to check your emails.

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Vancouver South, BC]

I didn't have my normal staff who would assist me in my normal day to day at that time, and during that time.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Okay.

In terms of GAC, what we have heard is that your chief of staff at the time, George Young, received the template from someone at GAC—

[Anita Vandenbeld, Liberal, Ottawa West—Nepean, ON]

I have a point of order.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

—that was then used for producing those illegal documents. Who is the person at GAC who—

[The Chair, Liberal, Ali Ehsassi]

One second, please.

There is a point of order, Mr. Genuis.

We have Ms. Vandenbeld.

[Anita Vandenbeld, Liberal, Ottawa West—Nepean, ON]

Now I believe that my colleague is going into things that don't have to do with the main estimates. Also, I believe he's badgering the witness.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

On that point, I was asking actually for the name of a GAC employee who provided those documents.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ali Ehsassi]

Mr. Genuis, you do recall that the chair has to permit you to speak.

I want to once again emphasize to all members to please keep their questions relevant.

Thank you, Mr. Genuis. You have the floor for another 25 seconds.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Thank you.

Minister, who was that GAC employee who provided those documents?

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Vancouver South, BC]

I'm sorry. Can you repeat the question? I'm not fully understanding what you were saying.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Who was the GAC employee who provided to your chief of staff the template that was used for producing these fake documents?

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Vancouver South, BC]

First of all, I wasn't tracking the actual process for the facilitation letters.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

You must have followed up on this information more recently, have you not, Chair?

[The Chair, Liberal, Ali Ehsassi]

I'm afraid, Mr. Genuis, that you're out of time.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Thank you, Chair.