Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Similar to Mr. Woodworth, I have some problems with the motion. I apologize that I was not back from the vote as quickly as other members of the committee, and perhaps I missed part of his presentation.
I have a question and a comment. My specific question for the mover of the motion is this. Have you been denied this information, or is it simply your allegation that it is taking longer than you would like? If it is the latter, I would suggest to this committee, through the chair, that the motion is out of order because it's premature. If the substance of the motion is that the member's privilege has been breached because information that's pertinent to the study of Bill C-36, which is what I understand is the essence of the complaint.... If it's simply a matter of timeliness, then I would suggest, Mr. Chair, that this motion is out of order. I didn't hear that Mr. Comartin has been denied information from Corrections commissioner Don Head or otherwise.
My other comment is this. I appreciate that I haven't been sitting at this table or any tables in the parliamentary precinct as long as the mover of this motion has, but procedurally, I don't quite understand why this matter is being taken, whether it is a matter of privilege...and I'm suggesting it's not, because I haven't heard that the information was denied. Even if it were a question of privilege, I don't know why it's being dealt with in the House. In other committees I have been involved with, issues of privilege have been dealt with first by the chair, and when the chair found privilege had been breached, the chair would report that matter to the Speaker and then the Speaker would follow up and provide a remedy if one were warranted.
I am asking him to answer my question, and that will determine where I go, if I go anywhere, with the rest of my argument.