Madam Speaker, for several weeks now the Prime Minister and the solicitor general have been avoiding answering questions about APEC, with the excuse that they could not say anything because the matter was under investigation by the RCMP public complaints commission.
The solicitor general has totally contradicted what he said previously in discussing APEC in a public place, on a plane.
The solicitor general has questioned the accuracy of the account taken by the member for Palliser on that plane, but he has never denied that he discussed APEC, nor has he ever stated exactly what he said in that conversation. In fact, the Prime Minister has made reference to the accuracy of the account as it deals with Airbus. By trying to impress a friend and chattering on in a public place about very sensitive information entrusted to him in his position as the minister responsible for the RCMP, he has demonstrated he is unfit to sit in cabinet.
Indeed, by his indiscretions he has become an object of ridicule by his colleagues, the media, voters and even his own constituents.
This was best summed up by an editorial in the Globe and Mail on October 8: “Stupidity isn't a crime, but it's no foundation for cabinet office either”.
The Hill Times said: “This has damaged the solicitor general's career and has raised some serious questions about his competence”.
The Halifax Herald said: “The member from Fredericton should not be solicitor general. His offence was to say anything about a matter before a public tribunal for which he has ministerial responsibility. This was as wrong as a judge casually talking about cases out of court”.
The member for Fredericton was indiscreet by talking about confidential information in a public place. It is immaterial what were his exact words used in that conversation. It does not matter who heard the conversation. The fact that he had this conversation at all shows that the member has compromised the office of the solicitor general. He has put his own self-interests ahead of the interest of Canada and the APEC inquiry.
I have not changed my mind. He should do the honourable thing and resign.