Mr. Speaker, I rise with regard to the question of privilege brought by the opposition House leader. I have an addition to her question of parliamentary privilege, which relates not only to the point she raised based on the previous Eggleton ruling.
I have read into the record, for the Chair's decision with respect to this question of privilege, the question from question period that was posed by the deputy leader of the Conservative Party today, where she directly refuted comments with respect to the briefing by Mr. Jean.
Yesterday, the Prime Minister and the public safety minister suggested, or left open the possibility, that there was classified information in that judgment. Today, the Prime Minister seemed very clear that there was no such classified information in that judgment, as was the case with the public safety minister.
In response to questions for the public safety minister, the deputy leader of the Conservatives read into the record in this place, so it is before you as Chair, Mr. Speaker, the evidence provided by one of the journalists who was given the briefing by Mr. Jean. He said that certain things he was being told could not be reported. Therefore, the original question of privilege brought by my colleague, the House leader for the opposition, was based on the fact that the opposition, in our individual and collective ability to hold the government to account, have freedom of speech, conduct inquiries, and call witnesses, was based in part on the fact there were two responses coming from the government. I would add to her question of privilege today's evidentiary record, which shows, once again, that there were two different versions coming from two separate members of the government with respect to whether all parts of the briefing by the national security adviser Daniel Jean to journalists were classified or were not classified. We have heard various versions of this.
Unlike my friend, who brought up several Speakers' rulings with respect to you, Mr. Speaker, not being in a position to ascertain the quality or accuracy of the responses, I agree with that precedent. This is not about accuracy; this is about a question of privilege where the members of the opposition, in our ability to do our job, are being told two different stories, two different responses. It is not the quality of them; it is which response is the response of the Government of Canada.
One would think it should come from the Prime Minister, as the leader of the government in the chamber. However, even today his response with respect to whether the information in the Jean briefing was classified or not, as the evidence from the deputy Conservative leader shows, was being refuted within minutes by members of the media who participated in the briefing.
Therefore, Mr. Speaker, we would like to add to the question of privilege not just the issue of two different responses with respect to the Atwal India affair, but we now have for your consideration two different responses as to whether the briefing by Mr. Jean was classified or was not classified.