Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I will ask that the motion that Mr. Lake has put forward on the subject of privacy considerations be set aside and then voted on separately, because I will not be supporting it. I would just advise Mr. Lake, and also members of this committee, that there are few powers that members of Parliament have, but one of them—and it has been proven both constitutionally and in the history of the British parliamentary system—is the ability of members of Parliament to in fact ask for papers and documents, whether confidential or not. That is a right and privilege that we have as members of Parliament. I don't want to limit that right in any way, shape, or form.
It's up to the department to give the arguments as to why we cannot see them, whether we need to see them in camera and not in a public forum, or whether it needs to be distributed or not, but that right of ours as parliamentarians is a historical and constitutional right, and I will not be voting for anything that will limit my ability and my rights as a member of Parliament.