The power to send for persons and, as I referred to earlier in this meeting, the power to send for records, is constitutional in nature and has no limits for those who are expressly permitted by Parliament. There is no explicit limitation on that power to compel persons. That said, there are some authorities in other jurisdictions—in the U.K. and Australia—for whom, as I said, it is against their practices of Parliament to compel foreign diplomats.
There is no known case in Canada of a committee compelling the attendance of a diplomat. Even if this is allowed by parliamentary law, parliamentary procedure, I would suggest that the committee be careful, because there might be other considerations, public policy considerations, to take into consideration. It could be seen as a breach of international law even if that specific provision of international law has not been codified in the laws of Canada.