Thank you, Chair.
Chair, I've served on this committee for a number of years, as have others. What matters to me is the integrity of this committee. Never before have we had what appears to be a breach of privilege on the committee. As such, to me it's not the topical issue. It could be Madam Ouimet, it could be any other topic.
The point is we either have a procedure we follow that's accepted by the committee or we don't. If we were to listen to Mr. Bains—and I respect his opinion on this, but he's suggesting that everything is open for disclosure until the committee decides otherwise. If that's the case, why even have a committee then? Just argue everything all out in public.
That is not the answer either. Therefore we have to have a set of rules that we follow. That's all. Regardless of the issue, regardless of the purpose of this committee, regardless of the result we're looking for, regardless of what my thoughts or other people's thoughts are, if we don't have a structure we follow, then we run into difficulties. If we have some difficulties now, it's simply.... And I'm not even going to suggest it's intentional. I don't even want to go there.
All I'm suggesting is let us just learn from this. Let us just learn from this at this particular point. Let's carry on with this committee from this point on, and let us not belabour this point but let's recognize that we have to have a procedure that is followed, and that means the confidentiality of this committee until the committee, master of its own destiny, makes a decision.
Whatever that committee decides to do, then so be it. Then that's the direction. Either information is withheld, it's in camera, or it's wide open, and it can be disclosed by each and any member of this committee at any time—or it's not. We cannot unilaterally have people going and making decisions to distribute information or to comment on information before the committee has ruled. We have every right to do so once the committee rules, but before, I just think it's wrong, and that's the point that I do believe.
To me it's solidly not about the issue in front of us, it's about the integrity of the committee and the manner and the direction in which the committee wishes to move forward. I hope we can put this behind us and just move forward now.