QUESTION PERIOD — Privy Council Office
Democratic Institutions
June 5, 2024
Honourable senators, my question is for the Government Representative in the Senate, Senator Gold.
Senator, as a follow-up to my colleague Senator Downe’s questions, will you commit to speak to the Prime Minister and the Minister of Public Safety, who incidentally also carries the title of Minister for Democratic Institutions, to release the names of any senators whom the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians referenced in their unredacted report so that those can be forwarded to the Senate Ethics Officer for review?
Thank you for your question. I will certainly raise this with the Prime Minister and ministers when I have an occasion to do that. The decision will be theirs, as you would fully expect and understand.
Senator, under section 48(4) of the Ethics and Conflict of Interest Code for Senators, it states the powers of the Senate Ethics Officer:
In carrying out an inquiry, the Senate Ethics Officer has the power to send for persons, papers, and records, which powers may be enforced by the Senate acting on the recommendation of the Committee following a request from the Senate Ethics Officer.
Would Senator Gold commit to working with the Senate Ethics Officer to release the unredacted report to that office, should the Senate Ethics Officer make that request?
Senator Patterson, there are — and properly so — rules surrounding the work of the Senate Ethics Officer and the committees to which you referred. They’re rules that bind all senators, and properly so. You can rest assured that any involvement I might have on this file beyond what I’ve undertaken to do will respect all of those rules.
