Mr. Speaker, we sometimes agree with your rulings and we sometimes disagree. That is perfectly fine. We have full confidence in your rulings, which are based on the facts, on jurisprudence and on past events.
However, my question was not about the Chair's ruling on our request. My question was about the legal proceedings filed by the Liberal government. The Speaker is named in the court order and is to testify on Monday about a matter involving the Government of Canada versus the House of Commons. As far as I know, this is the first time this has ever happened. On a side note, I must say that this is reminiscent of what happened in the United States in 1974 at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
We could even go so far as to say that this is a conflict of interest because, to my knowledge, the government is also part of the House of Commons and yet it is applying to the court to have the documents sealed when an order of the House requires that they be made public and tabled in the House.
I clearly believe that the House of Commons must defend this institution. The House of Commons must respect the work of parliamentarians. The House of Commons must act in accordance with the orders that it voted on. As a result, I would ask the Chair to clearly defend the rights of parliamentarians and the House of Commons in the case involving the government versus the House of Commons. To my knowledge, this is the first time this has happened. As a parliamentarian, I think it is very strange and dangerous that the government would dare to seek a court remedy against an order of the House of Commons. It is completely unacceptable.
The question remains the same: If the government does not obey the orders of the House of Commons, why would Canadians obey the laws passed by the House of Commons?