RCMP says it already has the documents at the centre of a debate bogging down the Commons

The RCMP has announced that it already possesses the documents at the center of a debate that has stalled government business in the House of Commons.

Since Speaker Greg Fergus ruled last week that the government "clearly did not fully comply" with an order from the House to provide documents related to a now-defunct foundation responsible for distributing hundreds of millions of federal dollars for green technology projects, the governing Liberals have been unable to advance any legislation.

The House order mandated that these documents be transferred to the RCMP to investigate potential criminality.

However, RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme informed reporters on Thursday that the Mounties already have the relevant documents.

"We did receive the documents, and there is an investigation ongoing, so I will limit my comments to that," Duheme stated when asked about the ongoing debate in the House.

Duheme did not specify whether the RCMP received the documents as a result of the original House order. CBC News has inquired whether the RCMP has received all the pertinent documents and requested more information regarding the investigation.

However, the RCMP informed MPs this summer that they likely could not utilize the documents in their investigation if they were obtained through the actions of the House of Commons.

In June, the federal government disbanded a $1 billion green fund following a report from the auditor general, which highlighted "significant lapses" in the handling of federal funding.

Auditor General Karen Hogan noted that Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) breached its conflict of interest policies 90 times, awarded $59 million to ten ineligible projects, and frequently exaggerated the environmental benefits of its initiatives.

The Liberals have expressed concerns that the House's actions may interfere with police independence by providing the RCMP with the documents.

Government House Leader Karina Gould described the request for the documents as an abuse of Parliament's power, asserting that it undermines the Charter rights of Canadians.

"Let’s be very clear. This is the Conservatives trying to disrupt Parliament," Gould said Thursday.

"Conservative members of Parliament are here for their own political, personal objectives, and they don’t care about the impact on Canadians in the meantime, which is something that should alarm all of us."

In response, Conservative House Leader Andrew Scheer challenged this assertion, stating that the Charter of Rights exists "to protect the people from the government. It is not there to protect the government from accountability to the people."

"[The Liberals are] willing to have Parliament grind to a halt rather than provide this information to the RCMP for a potential criminal investigation," Scheer told The Canadian Press on Thursday.

In his ruling last week, Fergus noted that it was "unprecedented" for the House to require the government to produce documents for the purpose of handing them over to a third party—the RCMP in this case.

Fergus suggested that the matter be examined by the House procedures committee. Since then, MPs have been deliberating on how to proceed, as the issue has been designated a question of privilege, which takes precedence over all other House business until resolved.