QUESTION PERIOD — Public Safety
National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians
June 17, 2024
Senator Gold, as you know, the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians, or NSICOP, is a joint committee of the Senate and the House of Commons. All the leaders in the House of Commons have had the opportunity to read the unredacted committee report and, if necessary, take any required action. I trust the four leaders at the various Senate groups to read the report, keep the confidence and, if necessary — and it is a big if — take the required action. They all understand the ethics rules of the Senate and their responsibility requirement to uphold the highest standards of behaviour. Why are Senate leaders barred from reading the report? I trust those senators. Why doesn’t the government trust them?
Thank you for your question. As I’ve said, the government is carefully reviewing the issue of expanding access to Senate leadership, and senators can have confidence that when I have more to share, I will revert to the Senate’s leadership with that decision. As it stands, consistent with the process that’s recommended by the Special Rapporteur, party leaders in the other place are included notably because they have stewardship and accountability for the oversight of a range of democratic national party affairs, including, most notably, nominations from coast to coast to coast.
I should also note that concurrently the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference has been asked to examine the content of the NSICOP report, and just today the commission publicly took note of the government’s decision to resort to the process of an independent commission of inquiry to shed light on the facts.
Senator Gold, to remove the cloud hanging over all senators — indeed one of our colleagues was questioned by a reporter just last week about his loyalty — the government has two choices: announce that no senators are named in the report as showing disloyalty to Canada or let the four leaders read the unredacted report, which they have allowed all the leaders in the House of Commons to do. Which is it? The government cannot continue treating the Senate in this manner.
As I’ve said and will continue to say, the government is reviewing the request that we brought to their attention to expand access to senator leaders, and when the government has made a decision, I will revert to the Senate leadership to advise them accordingly.
