Madam Speaker, the hon. government representative has raised a question a couple of times that also troubles me. The hon. leader of the official opposition has said that he does not want top secret security clearance, because he is afraid it will gag him.
Fortunately, thanks to David Johnston, this was made available to me, as leader of the Green Party, for the first time ever. If it were not for David Johnston's decision, I could not have asked for top secret security clearance. I did that process. It is long and onerous, and they really want to make sure one is not compromised. It is certainly not the case that I was gagged because I obtained it. I am very troubled with regard to the leader of the official opposition, with all due respect to my colleagues across the way.
I cannot speak to them directly, but I wish that the Conservative Party members would encourage their leader not to embrace ignorance as a virtue. It is much better to have top secret security clearance and clear the air so that Canadians know we are not compromised.