The Chair has heard the points raised by the hon. member for Burnaby—Douglas and the member for North Vancouver. I do not see how this is a question of privilege. I do not understand from anything I have heard how the privileges of the hon. member have been affected.
Members have two recourses with respect to documents. First, they can ask the House to pass an order requiring the tabling of documents in the House, which is called a notice of motion for the production of papers. Those motions can be tabled and can demand the production of documents that might not otherwise be available under the Access to Information Act.
Under the act, as the Minister of Foreign Affairs has pointed out, there is an appeal procedure available to members. The minister is perfectly correct in suggesting that the proper avenue for dealing with the matter is through appeal under the Access to Information Act and not to the Speaker. I do not think it is my obligation to rule on what kinds of documents are being produced either by government departments or members' offices except in the exceptional circumstances of there being something done by the House itself.
Clearly in this case it was not a matter for the House. It was a matter for an officer of parliament. Disclosure was made by the department under the auspices of an act of parliament. There is an officer charged with enforcement of the act and I think the matter should be dealt with there.
There is not a question of privilege raised at this time. I decline to proceed further with the matter.