Public Accounts Committee on Oct. 9th, 2024

[The Chair, Conservative, John Williamson]

Thank you, Mr. Erskine-Smith.

Up next is Ms. Khalid.

You have the floor, please.

[Iqra Khalid, Liberal, Mississauga—Erin Mills, ON]

Chair, I know that Monsieur Drouin had some points to make, so I'll let him go first as I review my notes and testimony.

I'd like to come back after Monsieur Drouin.

[The Chair, Conservative, John Williamson]

We will do that.

Mr. Drouin, you have the floor, please.

[Francis Drouin, Liberal, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I'm glad to be speaking again against this particular motion.

I think we have to set the frame as to why we're dealing with this. I want to inform the committee, in case they didn't see the letter, but I would assume.... I know I wasn't a member of this committee at the time, but I would like to refer to them the letter dated July 26, 2024. I'm assuming that members were—

[The Chair, Conservative, John Williamson]

I just want to interrupt.

Just as a reminder, I have received a note that there should be no photos when the committee is in session, please.

We'll go back to you, Mr. Drouin.

[Jean Yip, Liberal, Scarborough—Agincourt, ON]

Who is taking photos, Chair?

[The Chair, Conservative, John Williamson]

I actually don't know.

Mr. Drouin, you have the floor.

It is just a general reminder.

[Francis Drouin, Liberal, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

If somebody is taking pictures, just let me know so I can smile.

[Iqra Khalid, Liberal, Mississauga—Erin Mills, ON]

Is there somebody you can point to in the room?

[The Chair, Conservative, John Williamson]

I don't know.

Mr. Drouin, you have the floor.

[Iqra Khalid, Liberal, Mississauga—Erin Mills, ON]

Something prompted you to say that, Chair.

[The Chair, Conservative, John Williamson]

Yes, it was a note.

Mr. Drouin, you have the floor.

[Francis Drouin, Liberal, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

Okay.

Just again, if somebody is taking pictures while we're not allowed, let me know. I do want a smile. I don't want to look inappropriate, s'il vous plaît..

To set the frame, those members who were here back in July would obviously have seen this particular letter. It refers to why Mr. Bains was here, but it's also the rationale as to why we should be careful in using our parliamentary privilege to undertake certain investigations when we know for a fact that the commissioner, Mike Duheme, wrote to this committee. I just want to read it into the record, but I will point to a specific paragraph in this, which I think is important.

In a July 25, 2024, letter from RCMP commissioner Mike Duheme to the Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel, he stated:

I am writing to you regarding the Opposition Motion that was passed in the House on June 10, 2024—

[The Chair, Conservative, John Williamson]

I'm sorry, Mr. Drouin. Could I ask you maybe to first explain the relevance of the letter?

I allowed the auditor's letter to be read in as a courtesy, but I did feel at the time it was addressing the motion Ms. Khalid had put forward today, not the motion of Mr. Perkins. If you could—

[Iqra Khalid, Liberal, Mississauga—Erin Mills, ON]

Chair, I could speak to that.

[The Chair, Conservative, John Williamson]

I'm afraid Mr. Drouin has the floor.

Mr. Drouin, could you just explain the relevance, please, first?

[Francis Drouin, Liberal, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

Absolutely.

If you let me finish the paragraph, it says:

—which requires the production of documents from the government, the Auditor General, and Sustainable Development Technology Canada—

We are talking about SDTC at this committee. Are we not?

[Rick Perkins, Conservative, South Shore—St. Margarets, NS]

I have a point of order.

[The Chair, Conservative, John Williamson]

We're talking about the motion that Mr. Perkins put forward.

Again, I am allowing you to take us down...but I'd like to have the relevance of the letter before you read it.

[Francis Drouin, Liberal, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

Mr. Chair, it is relevant.

[The Chair, Conservative, John Williamson]

First, I want to hear Mr. Perkins' point of order.

[Rick Perkins, Conservative, South Shore—St. Margarets, NS]

My motion is not about the generalities of SDTC. My motion is not about the production of documents in the House. My motion is about the privilege of Mr. Bains' testimony, so I would ask that members keep their comments to Mr. Bains' testimony.

[The Chair, Conservative, John Williamson]

Mr. Perkins, that is what I am trying to do.

Ms. Khalid, go ahead on the point of order.

[Iqra Khalid, Liberal, Mississauga—Erin Mills, ON]

On that exact same point of order, I think you give a lot of leverage to members on this committee to get to the point they need to make.

I think Monsieur Drouin was getting to the point, and I think it is fair for him to read into the record what happens and how witnesses respond when they get called and hauled in before committees and when there is a disregard for the separation of powers within our Parliament. I think it is absolutely fair—

[The Chair, Conservative, John Williamson]

Ms. Khalid, this is no longer a point of order. It sounds like you're trying to speak for your colleague Mr. Drouin.