Evidence of meeting #38 for Public Safety and National Security in the 39th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was know.
A recording is available from Parliament.
4:30 p.m.
Liberal
Bonnie Brown Liberal Oakville, ON
In other words, it's our understanding that they contacted the government, and then the government contacted them to say what to do with the documents--to give instruction, in other words.
4:30 p.m.
National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister and Associate Secretary to the Cabinet, Privy Council Office
My understanding is that it was through Mr. Bernier's office, but I'd qualify that by saying I don't know that. That's part of the review.
4:30 p.m.
Liberal
Bonnie Brown Liberal Oakville, ON
Thank you.
Do you know how the documents were retrieved from Madame Couillard's lawyer?
4:30 p.m.
National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister and Associate Secretary to the Cabinet, Privy Council Office
4:30 p.m.
Liberal
Bonnie Brown Liberal Oakville, ON
Do you know to whom in the Government of Canada the documents were returned? Who actually received them on behalf of the government? They were the property of the government, so I assume somebody in the government had to receive them.
4:30 p.m.
National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister and Associate Secretary to the Cabinet, Privy Council Office
No, I don't. I know that the Department of Foreign Affairs got them some time during the Monday afternoon as well, but I don't know about before that.
4:30 p.m.
Liberal
Bonnie Brown Liberal Oakville, ON
Thank you.
On what date and at what time were these classified documents finally back in the possession of the Government of Canada? I think you've already answered that. You're saying some time Monday afternoon the Department of Foreign Affairs said they had them.
Now, did you watch the French television interview with Madame Couillard on Sunday night?
4:30 p.m.
National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister and Associate Secretary to the Cabinet, Privy Council Office
4:30 p.m.
Liberal
4:35 p.m.
National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister and Associate Secretary to the Cabinet, Privy Council Office
I didn't watch it, but I thought, actually, it was Monday night. I may be wrong on that.
4:35 p.m.
Liberal
4:35 p.m.
National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister and Associate Secretary to the Cabinet, Privy Council Office
The only reason I'm saying that is that I thought it was the same evening that the ministerial change actually took place, but I stand to be corrected.
4:35 p.m.
National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister and Associate Secretary to the Cabinet, Privy Council Office
That was Monday night; that's why I said that.
4:35 p.m.
Liberal
Bonnie Brown Liberal Oakville, ON
Yes.
Considering these were NATO documents and they were briefing papers for a meeting that was yet to come, do you know of any mitigation efforts that have gone on with regard to our NATO partners in case our reputation as a country capable of securing documents is tarnished now? Did any envoys go to the capitals of Europe or did any envoys go to NATO headquarters, or was it just a phone call to NATO?
4:35 p.m.
National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister and Associate Secretary to the Cabinet, Privy Council Office
First, let me make a correction to the first part of your question. They were not NATO documents; they were our documents.
4:35 p.m.
National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister and Associate Secretary to the Cabinet, Privy Council Office
They were about the NATO summit, which, by the time this happened, had already happened. The NATO summit was in early April.
4:35 p.m.
National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister and Associate Secretary to the Cabinet, Privy Council Office
Those two points being corrected, as I understand it, there was a phone call made to NATO and a subsequent letter to NATO. There was a check made to see if there was any information in there that had come from one of our allies, that was their information, and the first cut--and I premise it by saying the review will assess that more thoroughly--was that, no, there was not. So there were not formal representations made to other capitals beyond NATO.
4:35 p.m.
Liberal
Bonnie Brown Liberal Oakville, ON
Thank you.
Now, you said yours is not an investigative agency and you don't do investigations. I understand that. In your capacity as national security adviser, do you ever ask for an investigation to be done of something that may be worrying you as the main adviser to the Prime Minister? Do you ever ask for an investigation, have you ever done so, and did you do so in this case?
4:35 p.m.
National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister and Associate Secretary to the Cabinet, Privy Council Office
We would do it in relation to cabinet documents. If there were cabinet documents missing or something, usually that's an investigation that a department would do, but I could in that case.
4:35 p.m.
National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister and Associate Secretary to the Cabinet, Privy Council Office
On the cabinet documents? There was no reason to do that.
4:35 p.m.
Liberal