Thank you.
This issue really has to be put in context as to why it became such a firestorm, because I think it is beyond the fact that a functionary at an embassy made a mistake. The potential of a Democratic campaign that was raising issues of NAFTAgate certainly had major implications for a minority government here that was seen as very wedded to free trade. We had a campaign.... Mr. Obama, in particular, was seen as very much on the rise, surprising people; these primaries were coming down to the wire, and the issue of NAFTAgate was putting a great deal of pressure on this government here. In fact, on the domestic front, we saw that as of February 21, the government was doing damage control, saying the Democratic contenders weren't serious about this, not to worry, not to worry.
On February 25, Mr. Brodie goes to Washington. So right at the beginning of this he's meeting in Washington. On February 26, Mr. Brodie, in the lock-up, is telling reporters not to worry. He's basically giving them his word that this is not a serious issue because they know what the Obama and Clinton campaigns are doing; it's just a lot of talk. On February 27, the very next day, CTV is in discussions with Ambassador Wilson about whether or not they've spoken with the Obama and Clinton campaigns, and it's reported that it's been confirmed. And then on March 2, the Associated Press has a diplomatic report sent to them and we can't find the source of it.
It seems to me that each step of the way there's a pretty clear prima facie case that a government that was trying to derail a Democratic debate over NAFTAgate was doing what it could.... I can't see how you could tell us that Mr. Wilson, a man with that amount of political experience, knowing the sensitivity of speaking out in a primary that was so serious, could claim that he thought he was speaking off the record.
Do you expect us to just take it at face value that this was just a small cipher clerk who made a mistake, that there wasn't someone within the Prime Minister's Office who needs to be held accountable for what looks like a seeding of a story to influence the Democratic primaries and throw the NAFTAgate story on its heels?