I will start with the easiest one. I don't know why Mr. Murphy made the remarks he did with respect to the fact that there are Francophones in New Brunswick. It seems to me that I was careful to refer to Canadian Francophones and Canadian Anglophones. Of course, this whole affair involved something that was done in French. Indeed, I believe the plagiarized show was broadcast in New Brunswick as well. So, that argument is neither here nor there.
Why? Well, this is probably the biggest copyright case ever to have arisen in Canada. We encouraged the RCMP, we prompted it to investigate possible plagiarism and to defend patents. The investigators assigned to this case are convinced that they had causes of action. They filed charges and were subsequently told to withdraw them. Who told them to withdraw those charges? Obviously, they were told that by officials, but we would like to know, in light of what is clearly stated in the judge's decision, who asked them to do that.
I am not one to bandy about accusations, but looking at this whole affair, one cannot help but think that the instructions given the police to withdraw the charges had to have come from very high up. It is absolutely unthinkable, when you read the judgment, that a lawyer could have expressed that opinion. So, there must be another explanation, and that is exactly what we are seeking.
This is not about interfering in the work of police officers—quite the opposite; it is about understanding why the work done by the police, which resulted in charges being laid with respect to considerable amounts of public funds and very serious violations of the rights of an individual, was terminated.
It is my conviction that many people will tend to identify with Mr. Robinson, even if they recognize that they do not have his talent. It's the chicken or the egg. We are talking about a judgment which makes it clear that there was fraud, that offences were committed, that the police were aware of that and were convinced that they had the necessary evidence. Yet the work of the police was terminated as a result of instructions given from higher up. We want to know where those instructions came from. You are asking me where I am going with this; I want to go right to the top. I believe that most citizens who are aware of this affair want the same. As far as I am concerned, this is just as important as the sponsorship scandal or an investigation into monies collected by a former prime minister while in office. I am sure you realize that this is just about the most serious thing that could happen.
And other information has become available. There are documents and a letter that was produced where it is stated that Cinar was contributing 25%. That letter was essential in order for the company to receive the federal funding it was granted. And, there is another letter stating that, despite what is written in the first letter, that contribution was actually only 10%. I think someone has to take a close look at all of this. Since no one else appears to be doing that, I am appealing to our committee.