Public Safety Committee on Jan. 30th, 2007

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Ajax—Pickering, ON]

So the Prime Minister was wrong when he did that, in your opinion?

[Margaret Bloodworth]

No, I never said that.

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Ajax—Pickering, ON]

Okay. You said that either you're 100% behind the commissioner or you don't have confidence in the commissioner. There's no in-between position. Then the Prime Minister took a position, an in-between position, that he was going to reserve judgment until the committee had finished its process.

[Margaret Bloodworth]

I didn't say any of those things you said, Mr. Holland. What I will say, and I'll repeat, is I don't think you can long remain the head of a national police force if the government of the day does not have confidence in you.

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Ajax—Pickering, ON]

Okay. The only reason I make the distinction is that you had said that you couldn't have a midway position. The Prime Minister did, and your explanation was that it was only 36 hours. You only had that position for 36 hours, and that's why it was a tenable position.

[Margaret Bloodworth]

I never said any of those words, Mr. Holland.

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Ajax—Pickering, ON]

We'll go back to the blues, but you did.

[Margaret Bloodworth]

I never said he only did that; you're putting words in my mouth.

I am saying that I don't think anyone who works for the government--and I picked the RCMP, but you can pick any national organization where the head works for the government--can long remain in that position if the government of the day does not have confidence in them.

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Ajax—Pickering, ON]

The position that was taken by---

[Margaret Bloodworth]

I think that's a statement of fact.

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Ajax—Pickering, ON]

But is it a responsible position? This will be my last question on this. Is it a responsible position to say that you would reserve judgment on the commissioner until such time as the process had finished itself and questions could be answered? Would that be a fair position for the Prime Minister to take?

[Margaret Bloodworth]

I think what the Prime Minister did was fine.

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Ajax—Pickering, ON]

But would the position I've just described be a fair position to take?

[Margaret Bloodworth]

It's a hypothetical I'm not going to answer.

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Ajax—Pickering, ON]

So it was fine for him to take that position on December 4, but it wasn't fine for him to take that position on September 28.

[Margaret Bloodworth]

I never said that.

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Ajax—Pickering, ON]

But I'm asking you. I'm asking you now.

[Margaret Bloodworth]

I think you're asking me impossible questions. I think I've said what my position is. My position, and I include myself in that, is that if the government of the day does not have confidence in me, whichever government that is, whether it's the current government or the previous government, for whom I worked many years as well, I don't think I can long remain in my position.

That's the only point I was making and I reiterate it. I think it's a fact of life. I think you ask any of my colleagues, if you ask any minister of the crown, if you ask any prime minister, including this one and any former one, they would all agree with me.

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Ajax—Pickering, ON]

Okay, but just explain to me...because you had made a contradiction. I just want to know, if it was an acceptable position on December 4 for the Prime Minister to take that position, why was it not an acceptable position on September 28, when you told me before there was a position that couldn't be taken?

[Margaret Bloodworth]

I think I've answered the question, Mr. Holland.

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Ajax—Pickering, ON]

No, I don't think so.

[Dave MacKenzie, Conservative, Oxford, ON]

Mr. Chairman, with all due respect--

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Ajax—Pickering, ON]

If you don't want to answer the question, that's fine.

[Dave MacKenzie, Conservative, Oxford, ON]

--he's just badgering the witness.

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Ajax—Pickering, ON]

I'm trying to understand--