Information & Ethics committee Sir, as we've indicated previously, we are not in a position to comment on any particular investigation that may be going on right now, and in any event we can certainly not speculate as to what the outcome of the commissioner of elections' investigation would be in any particular case.
August 14th, 2008Committee meeting
Don Beardall
Information & Ethics committee Well, as I think we've indicated earlier, our involvement in Elections Act matters is not common. They fairly rarely arise. But any investigative agency—
August 14th, 2008Committee meeting
Don Beardall
Information & Ethics committee There have not.
August 14th, 2008Committee meeting
Don Beardall
Information & Ethics committee I would have to let Ms. Proulx respond, because she has better knowledge with regard to actual numbers. However, your question was in regard to the seriousness of cases that might be referred to us. Any investigative agency, including Elections Canada, would come to us when they feel they require our input and advice.
August 14th, 2008Committee meeting
Don Beardall
Information & Ethics committee I am certainly not aware of any inquiry from Elections Canada to us regarding the matter of a possible leak. With respect to the Public Prosecution Service, we have no credible information—or no information at all—that would give an air of reality to any suggestion that a leak emanated from the PPSC.
August 14th, 2008Committee meeting
Don Beardall
Information & Ethics committee That's correct.
August 14th, 2008Committee meeting
Don Beardall
Information & Ethics committee The offences would be set out in the Elections Act. Off the top of my head, no, I don't know what the penalties are for those particular offences.
August 14th, 2008Committee meeting
Don Beardall
Information & Ethics committee Perhaps I can answer that, Mr. Martin. The reality is that, no, I can't give you a single realistic timeframe.
August 14th, 2008Committee meeting
Don Beardall
Information & Ethics committee Well, the difficulty is that cases, even complex cases, vary so much in their circumstances, in the kinds of issues—charter issues or evidentiary issues or whatever issues—they might raise that there is no predictability in the abstract for saying how long a complex case would take.
August 14th, 2008Committee meeting
Don Beardall
Information & Ethics committee As I said, Mr. Martin, there are too many unknown factors to be able to make even an uncertain prediction.
August 14th, 2008Committee meeting
Don Beardall