Madam Speaker, in response to both the member for St. Albert—Edmonton and the member for Timmins—James Bay, the important point that needs to be clear on the record for Canadians is that it was stated that the Prime Minister refused to accept the position of the former attorney general. That is categorically not the case. The evidence has shown that the Prime Minister indicated that the decision was for the former attorney general to take, and she confirmed that in her own testimony. That is an important point.
The member for Timmins—James Bay said that it is a matter of law. I want to clarify for the record that directives have been done in terms of classes of litigation. Directives have occurred recently for HIV non-disclosure and also for indigenous litigation. Those directives were issued even once litigation was under way.
What I would reiterate for people to understand, including the member opposite, is that decisions are made about prosecutions on an ongoing basis until a sentence is determined. That happens all the time in the to-and-fro of a courtroom process. By way of example, there is the issue of the way a criminal trial unfolds. If it is meant to be a five-day trial and pursuing one type of sentence, as the evidence unfolds on the stand, decisions are made, agreements are struck to change penalties that are being sought, etc. This is a well-known feature of Canadian criminal law and has been for literally centuries. It is something that is well entrenched in terms of how prosecutions are handled.
I hope that helps to address the concerns of the member for Timmins—James Bay in terms of the notion of what directives are and when they are applied.