Evidence of meeting #17 for Subcommittee on International Human Rights in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was cuban.
A recording is available from Parliament.
1:10 p.m.
Committee Researcher
According to page 4 of the December version of this report, “Findings based on the classified materials consulted are given in a classified appendix to this report”. I assume that's what this is. So these are some additional findings that are not integrated in its first draft, in the December version of the draft.
He told the committee that about 1,200 words had been deleted or taken out. Some of them are blacked out; some of them aren't blacked out or taken out. So I don't know.
1:10 p.m.
Bloc
Caroline St-Hilaire Bloc Longueuil—Pierre-Boucher, QC
You know, we know even less than you do. You say that you don't really know, but neither do we. I am having trouble following.
Mr. Chairman, you seem to be saying that we are turning the page, that it is over. But I see that Mr. Sorenson has changed his mind; he wants to have the report. He said that he would not be present to avoid leaks to the media, but I see that he is happily present today. In the end, there is nothing in this report.
1:10 p.m.
Conservative
Kevin Sorenson Conservative Crowfoot, AB
That's why I said that if we were going to continue, and then the department was going to come with the report, with their concerns that there is classified information here that may be a security risk, I wouldn't be here. I don't have to be privy to that information; I don't want to be privy to it.
If the department says that it's intelligence or something else that can hurt something, I don't have to be here. But they've come with the report and with those segments still omitted.
1:10 p.m.
Bloc
Caroline St-Hilaire Bloc Longueuil—Pierre-Boucher, QC
Are most committee members satisfied with that?
1:10 p.m.
Bloc
Caroline St-Hilaire Bloc Longueuil—Pierre-Boucher, QC
We were given five censored pages, but we are continuing without any problem. Is that it?
1:10 p.m.
Bloc
1:10 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Jason Kenney
No. I was very clear on that point. The committee did the same with four or five motions.
1:10 p.m.
Bloc
Caroline St-Hilaire Bloc Longueuil—Pierre-Boucher, QC
There was a lot of discussion, but there was only one motion.
1:10 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Jason Kenney
Fine.
I take from what you're saying that you're not satisfied.
I'm the chair; I'm in the committee's hands. We have been around this several times. We have what we have. We've expressed our concern about this matter through several unanimous motions. I'm speechless; I'm just a procedural referee here.
1:10 p.m.
Conservative
Kevin Sorenson Conservative Crowfoot, AB
I don't think we can jeopardize our complete report by waiting, fighting, or trying to continue this debate on whether we can have the classified information.
Our standing committee is prepared to look at this report on May 10. I would hope that we aren't going to drag it out here. It might jeopardize going ahead with that report on May 10. We've been given what we've been given. There may be avenues where we can voice our frustration, but let's not let that jeopardize the report.
1:15 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Jason Kenney
Let me remind you, Madame St-Hilaire, just to be clear, that as you know, the deputy minister kindly appeared before the committee to discuss this matter. At the same time, we received legal advice from parliamentary counsel on the prerogatives of Parliament with respect to production of papers. The deputy minister then kindly sent us a letter last week indicating that his department was prepared to furnish excised versions of the report. We adopted a motion to respond to the deputy minister by way of letter, which I signed and sent last week, accepting his invitation for the members to receive original excised versions of the report, with classified elements excised.
We also discussed last week the fact that we had reported several motions to the main committee, chaired by Mr. Sorenson, requesting unexpurgated, unexcised versions of the report. Those are now at the main committee.
1:15 p.m.
The Clerk
They've been returned.
1:15 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Jason Kenney
Oh, they've been returned, including the last one?
Oh, it has.Thank you for correcting me.
These have been returned, back to this committee.
This committee, as I say—
1:15 p.m.
Conservative
Kevin Sorenson Conservative Crowfoot, AB
I think we brought that out at the last meeting, didn't we, that it had been returned here?
1:15 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Jason Kenney
My view on this, Caroline, is that insofar as the full committee has the power to report to the House and we do not, this matter is effectively now in the hands of the full committee, now that they have the report. If you're concerned, you're free to talk to your counterpart on the main committee about this to raise these concerns when they come to consideration of the report on May 10.
As legal counsel advised us, Parliament has certain powers, but subcommittees do not have all the delegated powers of Parliament, so the committee is quite limited in how it could respond if it chose to do so. I'm just giving you the factual basis of where we are.
1:15 p.m.
Conservative
Kevin Sorenson Conservative Crowfoot, AB
Madame Lalonde and Madam McDonough and the Liberals are very aware of the frustration at not seeing the report. We brought it forward. When we were continuing with asking them to go to the Burton report, that is why they brought it back.
That being said, it's back here, and we still have those dates for the study of this report, as long as it gets back to us.
1:15 p.m.
Committee Researcher
The draft report is before the...that's been sent; it's done.
