Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition clearly never tires of telling everyone he can that he wants to be Prime Minister of this country. What is crucial to being a prime minister, first and foremost, is ensuring the country's safety. One of the ways to ensure the country's safety is to have access to vital information ensured through a top security clearance. To get a top security clearance, one has to do background checks. Security agencies carry out background checks on one's family history, credit history and criminal background as well.
The Leader of the Opposition does not want to do this, and he has never been clear why. He has given many excuses, all of which have been absolutely debunked by security experts. The former head of CSIS, for example, has come out and made very clear that there is no reason for that. I point to Ward Elcock, for example, and others, including former national security advisers to Conservative and Liberal prime ministers, like Dick Fadden.
The Leader of the Opposition is not clear on this at all. What is he holding back? What is he hiding?