I always respect my colleagues' motions.
However, I know that the Minister of Official Languages was not behind the transaction, because he's an honourable man. As every honest person knows, MPs, ministers and lobbyists are not allowed to use allocated funds. It's totally illegal. My colleague, Mr. Boissonnault, is certainly very aware of the rules, because the law changed in 2006, when Mr. Harper was in power. I'm sure he checked. There are rules that I, as a parliamentary secretary, have to follow every year, rules governing who I do business with, my assets and my debts. I report everything to the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner.
I don't see how this issue has anything to do with the Standing Committee on Official Languages. If this is an ethical issue, then I don't think it's up to the Standing Committee on Official Languages to debate it, unless the transaction took place in the context of a contract whose funds are administered or granted by the official languages department. I know that the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics may deal with it.
I just want to say that the needs in minority language communities are great. I respect Mr. Boissonnault, but the situation he's talking about at the moment is not one of those needs. The ethics committee will have to make up its mind about that. If there's a problem, maybe we should let the Ethics Commissioner deal with it, but it's not up to the Standing Committee on Official Languages.
I respect Mr. Godin. We're on the same page when it comes to advocating for the francophonie internationally, a subject on which we always agree. We can sometimes dig in our heels here at the Official Languages Committee, though.
On that note, could we set Mr. Boissonnault's situation aside and debate it at another time, when we don't have any witnesses with us?