Contempt, Mr. Chair, isn't some abstract concept, nor is it an indication of some sort of procedural violation. Through you, Mr. Chair, to the ministers, it's about how a government acts. It's about its entire approach to Parliament. Theoretically, Mr. Chair, this government shows contempt to Parliament in almost every single action it has taken related to this file. Mr. Chair, this has never happened before in Canadian history. In fact, it's never happened before in Commonwealth history.
So let us, Mr. Chair, for the sake of the record, for the ministers to respond to the single question I will pose, recap. The government has failed to acknowledge that documents were requested by the finance committee until long after the first deadline. They claimed they couldn't provide any information because of cabinet confidence, then later providing the information and admitting it was never cabinet confidence, Mr. Chair.
They waited until the House of Commons was actually debating a motion about their failure to deliver the documents to produce the first document. Then they attempted at that time to claim that they fully complied with the very detailed document request by providing three pieces of paper.
Then the government tried to argue that it had complied with our demands and, in doing so, had provided detailed documents. All they provided were three pieces of paper at the very last minute, Mr. Chair, right before we moved our motion on supply day.
The government then said they were going to cooperate with the committee and then announced that two ministers would show up for an hour, and they would be accompanied by an army of highly dedicated senior public officials, whose time is being wasted--