Public Safety committee  Our concern is always with cabinet ministers, as it always has been. I was not making any judgments on anyone else, including someone who might be talked about in the newspaper.

Public Safety committee  I've explained what we did, and at that time we had checks that were complete in early April.

Public Safety committee  I think all I can do is repeat the facts. It is a fact that if the norm had been passed historically we would have done fewer background checks. We would have done them last August. Instead we did them all and we did them in March-April. That's a fact.

Public Safety committee  We had just done the background check. I'm not sure what more I can answer. I think I've already answered the question. I'm trying not to repeat what I've said.

Public Safety committee  In the future I will follow the system that is in place. No system is perfect, and it can change, no doubt. I've described how they can change.

Public Safety committee  Its not up to me to change the system. I give some advice, but in the end it's prime ministers who decide. I'm not talking about just this Prime Minister. It's this Prime Minister and all previous prime ministers for whom I've worked. It's they who decide who is in cabinet and what measures they want to take, of which background checks are one small part.

Public Safety committee  There are always things that can be done in relation to spouses. I think, as Mr. Cullen has pointed out, those have been of considerable debate. So it's not up to me to do that. That would be up to a government to decide it wants to enlarge what it does.

Public Safety committee  Can I answer the question, Mr. Chair?

Public Safety committee  The first point I would make is what I have tried to say throughout: we provide our advice based on analysis and facts, not media speculation. We of course read newspapers; we read more newspapers than we ever want to read at the Privy Council Office. We do not base our advice on what is in the media.

Public Safety committee  The norm had been, before that, to do checks when ministers changed offices or when cabinets were formed, which could mean that if a minister stayed in office for four years or five years there would not have been any check done. There had not been any particular problem. This was just a sense of regularizing it more systematically.

Public Safety committee  It's true that if the rule had not been changed, we would have done background checks on the few ministers who changed office last August. Instead, background checks were done on all ministers in the March and early April period. It's true that some would have been done last August, but none of the others would have been done until they changed office.

Public Safety committee  I think I said afternoon. It wasn't evening; evening was when the cabinet switch occurred.

Public Safety committee  That's my understanding; but I was not there.

Public Safety committee  I don't know exactly when. My understanding is that he was informed by the minister.

Public Safety committee  I'll repeat what I said before: I would expect the RCMP to inform me about any significant security issue involving a cabinet minister.