Public Safety Committee on June 18th, 2009

[An hon. member]

I wish.

[The Chair, Conservative, Garry Breitkreuz]

You wish to go in camera.

[An hon. member]

I do.

[The Chair, Conservative, Garry Breitkreuz]

Okay.

We will clear the room and suspend.

[Proceedings continue in camera]

[Public proceedings resume]

[The Chair, Conservative, Garry Breitkreuz]

I'd like to bring this meeting back to order. I have an indication here from Mr. MacKenzie that he has an issue he'd like to raise.

[Dave MacKenzie, Conservative, Oxford, ON]

Yes.

Mr. Rathgeber.

[Brent Rathgeber, Conservative, Edmonton—St. Albert, AB]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

It is with regret that I inform you, Mr. Chair, of a breach of parliamentary privilege. It has to do with the release of the report of this standing committee on the findings arising from the Iacobucci and O'Connor inquiries.

As members may or may not know, and I certainly bring it to the attention of you, Mr. Chair, and ask that you report it to the House, this report has been leaked to The Toronto Star. It appeared in a story written by Mr. Jim Bronskill of the Canadian Press. One of the members of this committee is quoted in that story.

I'm going to ask that this breach of privilege be reported to the Speaker of the House of Commons and that all appropriate inquiries and actions be taken, and I am going to, for the record, state, and ask the members on this side of the House to state on the record, that they did not release the contents of this story to anyone.

On my behalf, I am saying on the record that I did not release the contents of this report of the standing committee, dated June 2009, a review of the findings and the recommendations arising from the Iacobucci and O'Connor inquiries, outside the confines of this meeting room.

[The Chair, Conservative, Garry Breitkreuz]

The request has been made that I report this breach of parliamentary privilege to the House and ask the Speaker to investigate. I understand that's clearly what the request has been.

Are there any comments on that?

Mr. Kania.

[Andrew Kania, Liberal, Brampton West, ON]

I'm happy to discuss this issue, but if we're going to discuss it, should we not at least see what you're talking about? Do you have a copy of the article? Do you have enough copies for everybody? I'm not asking for myself; I'm asking for everyone.

[The Chair, Conservative, Garry Breitkreuz]

Can I get permission from the committee to distribute this article?

Monsieur Ménard, do you have any objections to my distributing this article to the committee?

[Serge Ménard, Bloc, Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, QC]

No. I think I can give you another one; there is a French version.

[The Chair, Conservative, Garry Breitkreuz]

I understand the answer was no, that he has no objection.

Copies are being made.

Mr. Norlock.

[Rick Norlock, Conservative, Northumberland—Quinte West, ON]

Just for the record, I spoke to no one about it, and to the best of my knowledge, no one from my staff did.

[The Chair, Conservative, Garry Breitkreuz]

It's in more than one paper. It's in The Journal of International Criminal Justice, the Federal Politics Journal and The Chronicle-Herald. I haven't gone through everything, but it appears to be widespread.

[Dave MacKenzie, Conservative, Oxford, ON]

Mr. Chair, at this time I would like to have on the record, as an individual, that I have not spoken to anyone, nor has anyone in my office, just so there's no misunderstanding.

[Phil McColeman, Conservative, Brant, ON]

I'll go on the record and state that I did not talk to anyone, nor to the best of my knowledge did anyone in my office.

[The Chair, Conservative, Garry Breitkreuz]

All right.

[Blake Richards, Conservative, Wild Rose, AB]

I'd like to have it on the record as well, Mr. Chairman, that neither I nor any of my staff members leaked any of this information, and I would certainly like to hear the same from the other side.

[The Chair, Conservative, Garry Breitkreuz]

Monsieur Ménard, you had your hand up.

[Serge Ménard, Bloc, Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, QC]

I did not communicate with reporters in any way and I am certain that no one on my staff did either. The staff is quite small.

[The Chair, Conservative, Garry Breitkreuz]

Are there any other comments or questions before I leave?

Mr. Davies, please.

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

I'll go on the record as well and state that neither I nor anybody in my office released any information about this to anybody at any time.

[The Chair, Conservative, Garry Breitkreuz]

Mr. Holland.

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

I'll similarly go on the record. I've never communicated with any journalist at any time about the report.

[The Chair, Conservative, Garry Breitkreuz]

Does anybody else want to make a comment?