I'll be very brief, Madam Chair.
What we're witnessing is a pathetic spectacle by the Liberals. They say they want to get to the bottom of the issue relating to the question of privilege, yet they are filibustering a motion that would empower this committee to do that by receiving all relevant documents and communications among the relevant departments and officials, including the Prime Minister's Office and the PCO.
There's a very good reason for that. It is very apparent that the Prime Minister's Office and ministers in this government, including Minister Blair, were briefed or should have known that Michael Chong was being targeted by Beijing, and kept him in the dark for two years. That is what is happening here. They are embarrassed about that failure. As a result, they are going to all lengths possible to gut my motion. By the way, they're filibustering an amendment put forward by a Liberal member. They want to move ahead with this, but they're filibustering their own amendment.
I reiterate that the notion that national security is somehow being imperiled as a result of this motion is absurd. Mr. Duguid said the Access to Information Act and Privacy Act are about the law of the land when it comes to the production of documents. What on earth is he talking about? He should get his facts straight. We have a motion before us. It's very straightforward. It was crafted in consultation with the law clerk, who I think knows a little more than Mr. Lauzon or Mr. Duguid do about national security, seeing as he has full national security clearance.
It would simply provide that, instead of the Prime Minister's Office deciding what is produced and what isn't, it send its redactions to the law clerk, and sends an unredacted version of the relevant communications. The law clerk makes a final determination as to what is redacted and what isn't. There's nothing more and nothing less to the motion.
If the Liberals truly want to get on with this, they should stop filibustering and let's get to a vote.