Procedure and House Affairs Committee on March 18th, 2011

[Bev Oda, Conservative, Durham, ON]

If I could answer that, I would say no, I did not specifically tell her to insert the word, and I did not tell her where to insert the word. I asked her to--

[Pat Martin, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Good enough.

[Bev Oda, Conservative, Durham, ON]

--follow through on my decision. And the assumption was that she would use whatever was the normal practice at that time to indicate my decision, which I articulated to her. My direction to her was to follow through on that direction.

[Pat Martin, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Thank you, Minister. Thank you for that answer.

When you testified before the committee prior to this, you said you had no idea who inserted the word “not”. Would it not be reasonable to assume, if you specifically directed your chief of staff to not fund Kairos, that it was she who inserted the word “not”? Why didn't you say, “I'm not sure who actually wrote 'not', but I directed my chief of staff to cancel or to turn off the funding to Kairos”?

That's not even a question.

My next question is this. When did you learn about Jason Kenney's speech accusing Kairos of being anti-Semitic?

[Bev Oda, Conservative, Durham, ON]

First of all, let me put on the record, Mr. Chair, through you, that assumptions of what my answers may or may not be before I've had an opportunity to give the answer....

As I said, I'm here to give the facts and the truth—

[Pat Martin, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

You've been very helpful.

[Bev Oda, Conservative, Durham, ON]

—so I would appreciate an opportunity to respond to the question.

[Pat Martin, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

When did you learn, through the chair—

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

Mr. Martin—

[Pat Martin, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Mr. Chairman, when did she learn about Jason Kenney's speech accusing Kairos of being anti-Semitic?

If you have a date—

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

That's the question that's been asked.

[Pat Martin, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

That's a question.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

The minister is attempting to answer it and then you speak over top.

[Pat Martin, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

I don't need a monologue. There are two answers. Either give me the date or say, “I don't know”.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

I think when you take a minute to ask the question, I'm going to allow the minister a minute or so to answer it.

[Pat Martin, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

I didn't take a minute.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

You did. You went off on one thought and then went back, but that's a different thing.

[Pat Martin, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

It only takes time when I have to explain all my questions to you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

Out of respect, Pat, if you're speaking over top of other people, we have to have them explained anyway.

Minister, please.

[Bev Oda, Conservative, Durham, ON]

I became aware of Minister Kenney's remarks that he made in Jerusalem through media reports of that speech. I had no knowledge that he was making—

[Pat Martin, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Before or after?

[Bev Oda, Conservative, Durham, ON]

I did not have any—

[Pat Martin]

Was it before or after you denied the funding?

Through the chair, was that before or after you cancelled the funding to Kairos?

[Bev Oda, Conservative, Durham, ON]

It's my recollection that Minister Kenney made the speech in Jerusalem after the decision was made by me. Also—

[Pat Martin, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

I have a question for Ms. Biggs, through the chair.

Do you believe that Kairos is an anti-Semitic organization?