Natural Resources Committee on Jan. 16th, 2008

[Gary Lunn, Conservative, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

No, thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Leon Benoit]

Thank you, Ms. Gallant and Mr. Minister.

We go now to the official opposition and Monsieur Proulx.

[Marcel Proulx, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Minister, for appearing before us this morning.

Minister, you told us earlier that you had asked Ms. Keen if she had some way of preventing problems, whereas in reality, you threatened her with dismissal for having failed in her duty, and criticized her for not having caved in to your ministerial directive in this matter.

The commission is a quasi-judicial body and is thus independent. Your Prime Minister has indeed set the rules: a minister has no orders to give to that organization. What is at issue here is the independence of administrative tribunals.

Mr. Minister, I would like to hear some brief answers from you to some brief questions.

You sent a letter to Ms. Keen dated December 27, 2007. You are entirely free to work on the day after Boxing Day, but I still find this a tad strange. When did you draft this letter dated December 27?

[Gary Lunn, Conservative, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

It started in the days before Christmas. The officials and I--

[Marcel Proulx, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

Precisely, I would like to know who helped you draft that letter, Mr. Minister.

[Gary Lunn, Conservative, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

I had support from my officials and staff from my office, but I stand behind everything I wrote in that letter. It was my letter.

[Marcel Proulx, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

Who within the Prime Minister's Office approved that letter, Minister?

[Gary Lunn, Conservative, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

I can say I wrote the letter with the support of my office and my officials. I stand behind everything in that letter.

[Marcel Proulx, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

That is not the issue, Mr. Chairman.

I asked the minister who within the Prime Minister's Office had approved that letter.

[Gary Lunn, Conservative, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

There would have been support. My deputy minister can possibly answer that. She would have received support from other agencies, but if we can direct that to her, the support she would have received in providing assistance to me to write that letter--

[Marcel Proulx, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

Mr. Chairman, the minister is avoiding replying to my question.

The question is simple: who in the Prime Minister's Office approved this letter?

Who in the Prime Minister's Office approved this letter, Mr. Minister?

[Gary Lunn, Conservative, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Again, this was my letter, under my signature. I'm sure there was communication between the departments, and the deputy could answer that. I have no doubt that the Prime Minister probably read the letter himself. I don't know that. I never had any conversations with him or with anybody in his office with respect to this letter.

Mr. Chair, I can say this letter was under my signature. I wrote this letter with the support of my officials and my staff, and I believe it was the appropriate course of action.

[Marcel Proulx, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

Mr. Chairman, the minister answered the question. I would like to ask him one last one.

The letter was leaked to the media. Who was behind that?

[The Chair, Conservative, Leon Benoit]

Monsieur Proulx, please give the minister a chance to answer.

[Marcel Proulx, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

He had already answered, Mr. Chair.

Minister, your letter of December 27 was leaked to the media. Who leaked it?

[Gary Lunn, Conservative, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Again, I have no idea who could have leaked it. I'm assured that it did not come from my office. That was an unfortunate incident. I understand that the RCMP and the Privacy Commissioner have been called in, which I support, of course.

This was a protected letter. It was a confidential letter. It was stated right on the letter. It was never intended to be disclosed in this way.

I can assure you that it was no one from my office who would have leaked this letter.

[Marcel Proulx, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

So, in summary, you don't know who was behind the leak of this letter and to your knowledge, the letter was not approved by the Prime Minister's Office. Is that correct?

[Gary Lunn, Conservative, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

No. What I said is I signed the letter and I'm responsible.

Again, let me turn the microphone, if I may, over to the deputy. She could answer the support they would have received providing support for--

[Marcel Proulx, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

Mr. Chair, I apologize, but I don't need that. My question was in regard to the Prime Minister's Office.

I'm short on time. I respect the deputy minister, but my question was to the minister. I would like to ask him a final question.

[The Chair, Conservative, Leon Benoit]

Mr. Proulx, the deputy minister will have a chance to respond. Thank you.

[Marcel Proulx, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

Why, Mr. Chair? What's she going to answer? I've already got an answer from the minister. You are running my clock now, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Conservative, Leon Benoit]

Mr. Proulx, it is at the discretion of the minister to decide how to answer--or who will answer, in this case.

Go ahead, please.

[Cassie Doyle]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I would just add that the appointment of the chair and president of CNSC is a senior appointment. We certainly received input from the justice department and PCO on the crafting of that letter.

[Marcel Proulx, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

Mrs. Doyle, who approved the letter at PMO?

[Cassie Doyle]

I have no knowledge of who--