Public Safety Committee on July 25th, 2022

[Raquel Dancho, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

You're also aware that the commissioner's email contained a strong warning that the information must not be shared beyond you and the Prime Minister because it could jeopardize the active investigation, correct?

[Bill Blair, Liberal, Scarborough Southwest, ON]

I'm not only aware of it, but I respected that throughout.

[Raquel Dancho, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

You are aware of the meeting that the commissioner called for her and her Nova Scotia officials immediately following the Nova Scotia press conference on April 28.

[Bill Blair, Liberal, Scarborough Southwest, ON]

I was not aware of that. I've subsequently become aware of it through media reports.

[Raquel Dancho, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

You're aware that during that meeting the commissioner reprimanded her Nova Scotia deputies for not sharing the information she warned you not to share, correct?

[Bill Blair, Liberal, Scarborough Southwest, ON]

I'm not aware of that. I was not a party to that conversation, and I've only read media reports. I've not discussed that in any way with the commissioner.

[Raquel Dancho, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

Your office obtained assurances from Commissioner Lucki that the type of weapons used in the shooting would be released to the public at the April 28 press conference, correct?

[Bill Blair, Liberal, Scarborough Southwest, ON]

No, that's incorrect.

[Raquel Dancho, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

So it was not assured. You had no idea that was Commissioner Lucki's expectation at that press conference.

[Bill Blair, Liberal, Scarborough Southwest, ON]

Let me be very clear. At no time did I ask Commissioner Lucki to reveal that information. At no time did I direct her in any way on communications. She did not make any promise to me.

[Raquel Dancho, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

Minister, you're miscommunicating a bit.

I'm not asking if you had asked her, but I'm asking if you were aware of the commissioner's expectation that on that April 28 press conference that information would be released.

Were you aware that was Commissioner Lucki's expectation?

[Bill Blair, Liberal, Scarborough Southwest, ON]

No, I was not.

[Raquel Dancho, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

You were not aware.

Following the meeting and the press conference, in a late-night email from Commissioner Lucki to your chief of staff and your deputy minister on April 28, she said, without any context whatsoever, that the press conference was, to quote Commissioner Lucki, “not the execution I was expecting”. Again, she said in her email, without further context, that the press conference was “not the execution I was expecting.” That's in reference to the media questions on the types of weapons used.

The lack of context provided in Commissioner Lucki's—

[Bill Blair, Liberal, Scarborough Southwest, ON]

I can't comment on the context of that. I wasn't aware of it, and I have no knowledge of what the commissioner was referring to.

[Raquel Dancho, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

It seems that your deputy minister and your chief of staff were fully aware of the expectation of Commissioner Lucki of that press conference.

To the deputy minister, were you aware of the context of this email, because it was not listed in the email and it was written that you would have been aware?

[Bill Blair, Liberal, Scarborough Southwest, ON]

I have no idea—

[Raquel Dancho, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

That question is to the deputy minister, please. Thank you.

Were you aware of the context of the email?

[Rob Stewart, Deputy Minister, Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Not in the sense that you are posing the question. I was aware that the commissioner expected there to be full disclosure of what the RCMP knew for the sake of the public.

[Raquel Dancho, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

That's what I'm asking. So you were aware of the context of the email—the context of the email being that the commissioner's expectation of the April 28 press conference was that that information on the weapons would be released.

Thank you for confirming that you were aware of the context.

[Bill Blair, Liberal, Scarborough Southwest, ON]

Ms. Dancho, if I may, that's simply not correct. I don't believe there's anything in that email that makes reference to any information about firearms.

[Raquel Dancho, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

I would just read it again.

There is no context in this email, but Commissioner Lucki said, in reference to the press conference, that it was not the execution she was expecting. She then went on to provide comment from media and from Darren Campbell, when he was asked about the weapons used.

I appreciate that you were aware of the context of that email—even though it was not listed—which would mean that you were aware a bit earlier in the day.

[Rob Stewart]

I'd like to just make sure you're clear on my point here.

[Raquel Dancho, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

Please go ahead.

[The Chair, Liberal, Jim Carr]

You have 10 seconds to be clear.

[Rob Stewart]

To the best of my recollection, the commissioner had provided some assurance that the RCMP would provide the public with a full story of what had happened and what they knew. That was what I understood.