Mr. Speaker, I will, in my own small way, attempt to frame this matter of privilege that has been put forward.
The hon. member knows and all members know that they have the ability in the House to request documents through established procedures in the House. In this particular case, it appears that the member did not so request. The member chose to rely on the provisions of the Access to Information Act, an act and a procedure set up by parliament for all Canadians.
In electing to use the access to information process, the member or any member of the House who uses that process are essentially using their shoes as a citizen to make access requests to government. They are simply making access requests as citizens not as members of parliament.
There may have been a dysfunction in the process. I am advised that from time to time there are dysfunctions and there may well have been in this case. If there was a dysfunction in the process, a delay or whatever, I do not think it is correct for a member here to say that a dysfunction in a procedure becomes a matter of privilege just because he or she is a member of parliament. That would allow the House procedures inside this place to be cast out throughout the whole country. Every time there was a dysfunction on a Bell telephone line involving a member of parliament it would essentially be a case of privilege.
I would not want to deal with the issue of just what happened with the access request in this case or in other cases. There may well be a real dysfunction and the commissioner may wish to advise parliament. It may be a real issue for the House, but in my view it would be important, before it becomes a matter of privilege, that a direct parliamentary function be directly impaired by the problem that the member brings to the House's attention.