Thank you, Mr. Chair. Good afternoon, everyone.
Obviously, I take exception to some of the things that have been outlined already, but I think we are here today to try to move forward on this matter.
The motion advanced by Mr. Boissonnault, I believe, is a reasonable motion and I will be supporting it. It is designed to reassure Canadians and show how Parliament can work and do good work at this committee, which we have shown time and time again on very important issues for Canadians.
The decorum with which we conduct ourselves at committees, such as this justice committee, will be noticed by Canadians. I think we can reflect the best of ourselves if we work together in a way that seeks to reassure Canadians and find out what has occurred in this situation.
The motion submitted by Mr. Boissonnault mentions that there is potentially an issue regarding the sub judice rule, and it is incumbent on our committee, as Mr. Cullen said, to examine, possibly, that issue to ensure there is fairness on a matter currently before the courts. That is an important feature of this motion.
I also believe that examining the Shawcross doctrine, which actually lays out the standard by which an attorney general can interact with cabinet colleagues and others, is an important way to show Canadians what that standard is and to reassure them that there are principles on this and that discussions surrounding the former attorney general, with matters currently being prosecuted, are adequate and okay. We need to understand what that doctrine says so that Canadians can be reassured about what the proper standard is.
Those are my submissions, Mr. Chair. I thank you very much for convening the meeting. I agree with Mr. Boissonnault and will be supporting his motion unamended.
Thank you.