Mr. Chair, the RCMP does not take instructions on whether to lay a charge or not. It works entirely independently of my office.
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Business of Supply May 14th, 2019
Mr. Chair, the RCMP does not take instructions on whether to lay a charge or not. It works entirely independently of my office.
Business of Supply May 14th, 2019
Mr. Chair, the prosecution service is independent of my office, and I will not speculate on an article that appears in the newspaper.
Business of Supply May 14th, 2019
Mr. Chair, I do not know the answer to that question. I do know that the RCMP conducts its own independent investigations and that the director of public prosecutions undertakes those prosecutions and, in this case, ordered the stay. It was before my time as Attorney General. I do not know the precise instigation for that.
Business of Supply May 14th, 2019
Mr. Chair, it is absurd to project into the future what people might or might not say. I can speak for myself and say that I have never had such conversations or given such an assurance.
Business of Supply May 14th, 2019
Mr. Chair, I am not quite sure what the hon. member means by that. I would ask her for more precision.
Business of Supply May 14th, 2019
Mr. Chair, my answer is the same. Anything that I can say in the House may have an impact on the proceedings before the Federal Court of Appeal.
Business of Supply May 14th, 2019
Mr. Chair, as the hon. member knows, because the matter is under appeal, that is not a question I will answer because of litigation privilege and the sub judice rule.
Justice May 14th, 2019
Mr. Speaker, as I was saying, we have asked a former minister of justice and attorney general of Canada, the hon. Anne McLellan, to look into this matter and give us her recommendations. Her track record is impressive, and she understands the various pressures that come along with this position. I look forward to working closely with her to ensure that our government continues to set higher standards for governance.
Justice May 14th, 2019
Mr. Speaker, our government firmly believes in the institutions of government and respects them deeply. On this particular issue, we have asked—
Justice May 14th, 2019
Mr. Speaker, the case to which the hon. member referred was handled by the Public Prosecution Service of Canada, which is independent from the government and independent from the Department of Justice.
My office had no role whatsoever in the handling of this prosecution. That includes the decision to lay charges and the decision to stay charges, as well as the prosecution in-between.