Mr. Speaker, I would like to corroborate to some extent what the two previous speakers have said.
I have been in this House 16 years, and it is customary when quoting a document for the Prime Minister or the minister concerned to table the document, in order to be able to use it subsequently in answering questions or to use extracts from it in answers.
When the Prime Minister or minister quotes from documents or reads excerpts from them, however, they are required to table the entire document so that each member of the House may have the same use, view of, and ease of access to the documents in question.
If no document or file had ever been quoted to the members, he could say “Go and get the documents you want under the Access to Information Act”, but this particular document is pertinent to the debate and to the events as they are unfolding. All of the files must therefore be tabled, and parts of the document must not be quoted during question period only.
It is totally legitimate for each member to demand this right.