Mr. Speaker, the minister's refusal to answer the question undermines confidence in the inquiry.
Yesterday the minister also stated that the Judge Advocate General helped him to draft the terms of reference of the Somali inquiry.
As the minister knows, the Judge Advocate General works with, and some would say for, the chief of defence staff and the deputy minister of defence. In effect the Judge Advocate General is part of the same military hierarchy that the inquiry is to investigate.
How big a hand has the national defence hierarchy had in drafting the terms of reference of the Somali inquiry? How can Canadians be assured that this involvement has not already prejudiced the inquiry?