I'm a bit concerned, Mr. Chair, about the unwillingness of the minister to give me an answer as to whether cost entered into the consideration on the extradition of Mr. Schreiber. The reason I'm raising this, Mr. Chair, is that across the hallway currently, Rob Walsh, our law clerk and parliamentary counsel, is giving advice to the committee sitting there that this minister, and the Minister of Justice, generally, make this decision in the political arena and not in the judicial arena.
Mr. Minister, I guess I'm putting it to you again. If the decision is in the political arena, for you to take the position that it is inappropriate for you to comment—and I think that's a fair way to characterize your position—on that particular case and to respond to the questions I asked you.... I don't know how you can hold that position when our parliamentary counsel is giving you another opinion, which is that it is in the political arena and that in fact it would not be inappropriate for you to comment publicly, because it is in the political arena. Even though other parts of this case are before the courts, the basic decision as to whether this man should be extradited or kept in Canada is a political decision.
So I'd like to understand your position on that more clearly.
Let me just finish, Mr. Minister. I think it goes beyond that. You're here before the committee, and again, I recognize that when you've come here you have been, with the odd exception, very responsive, whether it was in details or on policy issues. So I guess I don't appreciate your position. I don't mean that in a negative sense. I just do not understand it, and I don't think it's fair to the committee for you to be taking this position when you're getting that opinion from Mr. Walsh.