Evidence of meeting #43 for Public Safety and National Security in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was weapons.
A recording is available from Parliament.
3:45 p.m.
Liberal
Pam Damoff Liberal Oakville North—Burlington, ON
On a point of order, Chair, out of respect for the interpreters, it's difficult for them to do their job when two people are talking at once.
3:45 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ron McKinnon
Thank you for your intervention.
Can I ask everyone to take turns?
Please go ahead.
3:45 p.m.
Conservative
Raquel Dancho Conservative Kildonan—St. Paul, MB
Thank you.
So you're saying, Minister, that the commissioner was not telling the truth when she told her deputies that your office made this request. She was not telling the truth.
3:50 p.m.
Liberal
Bill Blair Liberal Scarborough Southwest, ON
The conversation between the commissioner and her subordinates was not something I was a party to—
3:50 p.m.
Conservative
3:50 p.m.
Liberal
Bill Blair Liberal Scarborough Southwest, ON
—and I'm not going to speculate on her reasons for saying what she did.
3:50 p.m.
Conservative
Raquel Dancho Conservative Kildonan—St. Paul, MB
She also said it at committee. Was she not telling the committee members here the truth?
3:50 p.m.
Liberal
Bill Blair Liberal Scarborough Southwest, ON
She has testified under oath, Ms. Dancho, that she was not directed or asked by any member of government, including me, to release that information—
3:50 p.m.
Conservative
3:50 p.m.
Conservative
Raquel Dancho Conservative Kildonan—St. Paul, MB
I'm asking very specifically about the request made from your chief of staff. She said it here at committee that that happened. She said it at the Mass Casualty Commission. Are you saying that never happened, that the commissioner was not telling the truth?
3:50 p.m.
Liberal
Bill Blair Liberal Scarborough Southwest, ON
Again, my understanding from the commissioner was that she had advised both the deputy minister and my chief that she had made a decision to release that information and then subsequently was concerned that it had not been released.
3:50 p.m.
Conservative
Raquel Dancho Conservative Kildonan—St. Paul, MB
Minister, you're directly contradicting what the commissioner said in testimony here and at the Mass Casualty Commission. Are you not concerned that the commissioner is not telling the truth and that you're here as a result?
3:50 p.m.
Liberal
Bill Blair Liberal Scarborough Southwest, ON
Ms. Dancho, all I can do is come before this committee and testify honestly about what I know and what happened, and that's what I'm doing.
3:50 p.m.
Conservative
Raquel Dancho Conservative Kildonan—St. Paul, MB
How do you explain the commissioner's words to the committee members here and at the Mass Casualty Commission? She made it very clear that the request came from your chief of staff.
Just to be clear, before you answer, everyone here is well aware of how the chief of staff and ministerial relationship works. I doubt very much that your chief of staff went rogue and made this request without your knowledge, let alone without telling you following that request being made.
Are you expecting us to believe that, Minister, that your chief of staff went rogue?
3:50 p.m.
Liberal
Bill Blair Liberal Scarborough Southwest, ON
There are two things.
Whenever anybody begins a question with “everybody knows”, it's usually a good reminder that some people simply don't know how things were.
Let me clarify what the commissioner said, which should be clarified by the commissioner. She's going to be appearing here in the next hour. I certainly invite you to put any questions to the commissioner about what she may have said.
I'm here to tell you about what I did and said. I've done that.
3:50 p.m.
Conservative
Raquel Dancho Conservative Kildonan—St. Paul, MB
I'm asking you about the commissioner's words. She directly refuted you on the record. She did that over the summer at committee. She did that at the Mass Casualty Commission.
Are you not concerned that her words directly refute yours? Is that not of concern to you, sir?
3:50 p.m.
Liberal
Bill Blair Liberal Scarborough Southwest, ON
I don't believe that's true. Frankly, I've heard a great deal of conjecture—
3:50 p.m.
Conservative
3:50 p.m.
Liberal
Bill Blair Liberal Scarborough Southwest, ON
—and innuendo from you, Ms. Dancho [Inaudible—Editor]. Frankly, I don't believe what you are saying is true.
3:50 p.m.
Liberal
3:50 p.m.
Liberal
Taleeb Noormohamed Liberal Vancouver Granville, BC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister, for appearing, although I am certain you have better things to do than to be engaged in this political theatre.
I want to begin where Ms. Dancho left off, because I am actually quite disturbed by how we are now mired in what appears to be misinformation by omission. I want to be clear that, in my view, what Ms. Dancho just portrayed is not what I believe to be the case.
I want to give you the opportunity, because I want to get this on the record once and for all—having recognized that you have done this several times. In every appearance you have made before this committee and Parliament, have you been telling the truth when you've been asked a question?