Thank you very much.
Mr. Chair, before you adjourn this section of the meeting and go in camera, I'd like to just raise two issues of questions of privilege if I may. One is related to this particular study with the IRB. You'll recall, Mr. Chair, that on February 27, 2018, Mr. Aterman was before this committee and I asked Mr. Aterman to provide the interim third party report by Neil Yeates. It is said that the report is comprehensive and that it would have potential content within it that addresses the issue of training, appointments, and complaints. Mr. Aterman responded by saying that he had to go back and check and see whether or not he could provide that report to us.
Since that time, we have received a written response from Mr. Aterman on the undertaking and there is no mention of this report or this request. I just want to note that if an appointed third party reviewer directly provided a report, interim or otherwise, to a quasi-judicial body at arm's length of the government, it is unrealistic to consider that this document is protected by cabinet privilege and it's unacceptable for the document to be outright ignored at the request from this committee as an undertaking.
If cabinet privilege is to be cited as the reason why this report can not be provided to the committee, then I think committee members deserve an explanation as to how that is indeed deemed to be cabinet privilege.
I'd like to get a response from Mr. Aterman on this request. We've had situations before where IRCC officials just outright ignored the undertakings given to them from committee. I just don't think that's appropriate and frankly it impedes my work and I would say the committee's work as well.