As a general rule, when we have a public document that was quoted from and cited, yes, we do have it tabled in the House of Commons.
I repeat citation 495 which states:
(3) A public document referred to but not cited or quoted by a minister need not be tabled.
That is from a decision in 1971.
(4) Only the document cited need be tabled by a minister. A complete file need not be tabled because one document in it has been cited.
Therefore, if something was quoted from in the House and it is cited, then that document would be tabled.
What we have here is a question of do ministers have the right to have materials in the House that they refer to to give answers in the House. I would judge that if all of the briefing notes which were prepared for the ministers had to be tabled, then I think that that would perhaps put the minister at somewhat of a disadvantage and that all of the information that he uses would be cited in public.
I will review the blues, and if the blues do state a specific document was cited and where it was cited, then I will come back to the House if it is necessary. But I will not order that notes that are made either in the House or before they come in the House as briefing notes be released to the House.
On the other point brought up about accountability of the ministers, I am sure that if the hon. member looks through all of that and if what the hon. member is claiming is that not that there is a matter of opinion on both sides but that there was—now this is my word, the hon. member did not use it—but that in fact there was a deliberate lie, then we are dealing with something else altogether. The minister of course is appointed by the Prime Minister. If the minister feels for whatever reason that he or she should be resigning for whatever reasons he or she has, then that would be his or her decision. Conversely I think that the Prime Minister would have all of the authority that a leader of a party has to dismiss or change the ministers as they are.
On both counts, one the releasing of the information, I would rule that yes, if it is in a public document cited—and I commit to reviewing the blues to see if indeed there was a document cited in there—and two on the accountability of ministers, I would rule on both cases that the point of order is not granted.
This point of order is over.