Madam Chair, on February 26, the Standing Committee on Health passed a motion stating the following:
That, pursuant to Standing Order 108(1)(a), the committee order all documents, including briefing notes, memos and emails from senior officials, prepared for the Minister of Health, Minister of Transport, Minister of Public Safety, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Minister of National Defence regarding the outbreak of the coronavirus, no later than March 15, 2020; that matters of Cabinet confidence and national security be excluded from the request; and that any redactions to protect the privacy of Canadian citizens and permanent residents whose names and personal information may be included in the documents, as well as public servants who have been providing assistance on this matter, be made by the Office of the Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel of the House of Commons.
The documents were provided, but they were redacted by the government in advance. As a result, the parliamentary counsel has written to complain about this action.
Will the government reverse its course and allow the parliamentary counsel law clerk to do the redactions, rather than redacting proactively?