Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Minister, you may find me tiresome, but I must return to the question I asked you earlier.
When I asked you whether the government had put pressure on Mrs. Lalonde and Ms. Jaczek to return to Canada, you replied: “Not to my knowledge”. That is what you said. You will want to check the committee's blues.
However, in a joint statement, Ms. Jaczek and Mrs. Lalonde clarified that they had returned to Canada early on the government's advice in order to avoid any confusion regarding Ottawa's foreign policy.
What you're telling me is that Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs is unaware of a statement made by two MPs from the government caucus who alluded to Canada's foreign policy.
There is one thing I hate, Minister, and I'm saying this so that it's clear—we're amongst ourselves—I don't like being made a laughing stock.
What you're telling me is that you were not aware of this statement regarding the fact that these two MPs were told by their government to cut their trip short and return to Canada.
Do you stand by what you said earlier?