I'm trying to reconstruct....
The summer was all NAFTA, NAFTA, NAFTA. There was a cabinet retreat at the end of the summer in Nanaimo. I remember the smoke from the fires, as I'm sure you do—and I'm not trying to be facetious. There was a lot being prepared for the fall session and a lot of balls in the air. I did not discuss the SNC matter with anyone that I can recall, frankly. It was in the hands of the prosecution service and the Department of Justice.
Once there was a parliamentary process under way, by that time I think the budget implementation bill had passed the House—rather rapidly if you remember—but it was before the Senate, and there were Senate hearings. I probably have transcripts or summaries of the discussion of the bill because I get them for most bills. I track the progress, as does my office, of legislation that moves through the two chambers of Parliament.
The preoccupation where I would have had any interaction with the former minister was around the rights recognition framework, the indigenous agenda. There's a different story arc there that I'll try to reconstruct. The Prime Minister is unwavering and relentless in his commitment to moving forward indigenous reconciliation, and very impatient, as prime ministers are, to get things done and get things moving. He was concerned that we were losing momentum and traction heading into the last year of the mandate on the rights recognition framework. He was aware, because he'd been briefed, both by the Privy Council Office and his political staff, that there was something of a policy standoff among his ministers. There were different views on a very significant thing, and we were trying to find a way.... Essentially, I'd call it a form of conciliation or mediation to bring people together. You have some experience in the matter. Ministers can have very different views, quite legitimately, about how best to proceed, and cabinet's there to sort these out.
Given that there was so much time being sucked into the NAFTA thing, I was asked to step in and play a bit of a role in bringing together the different views. I do want to say on the record for Canadians that I am deeply hurt on behalf of Minister Bennett that her reputation had been trolled over the last little while. There are vile things being said in social media about her in the wake of Minister Wilson-Raybould's resignation. I worked in the area for most of my career. I want to say on the record there is no Canadian who has worked harder on indigenous reconciliation than the Honourable Carolyn Bennett, and she deserves better from the social media trolls.
There was a legitimate argument within cabinet about how to move forward on the rights recognition framework, and there were discussions that would have taken place on the right approach to child and family services legislation, which I truly hope you're going to see soon in Parliament, the languages legislation and other indigenous matters. Minister Wilson-Raybould played a very particular role in cabinet. She did not ever want to be one of the indigenous affairs ministers. She made that very clear. She did not want to be the indigenous services minister, or the CIRNA minister and be seen as the Indian agent for her own people. She's made that clear in public.
As Minister of Justice—
