Brian Crawley told Justice Margaret Cameron he cannot remember reading an e-mail in July 2005 that alerted him to breast cancer testing problems. (CBC)

Another key adviser of Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams testifying at the Cameron inquiry Wednesday couldn't recall much about when he was first told about breast cancer testing mistakes, and his forgetfulness clearly frustrated the judge in charge.

The premier's chief of staff, Brian Crawley, was sent an e-mail in July, 2005 that warned of a major story about to break involving breast cancer testing mistakes.

But Crawley testified he can't remember getting the e-mail or even talking to anyone in the premier's office — including the premier — about it.

"I really don't remember anything about those early days at all," he said.

Judge Margaret Cameron asked Crawley whether he remembered any of the events of July and he responded, "No."

"You don't remember seeing anything about this until the story broke in the Independent [Newfoundland & Labrador Independent newspaper] and you don't even really remember reading the Independent story," she said.

Cameron interrupted Crawley again when he tried to get around his lack of recall.

"Well, I'm getting a lot of that, 'This is what I would've done,' but nobody ever remembers seemingly having done much," she said.

Crawley said the premier's office relies on a minister, deputy minister or the cabinet secretariat to bring serious issues to its attention. He said he has too many other things to do to go looking for information or for updates.

In the end, Cameron rolled her eyes, gave a heavy sigh, and tapped her fingers on her desk in a show of impatience.

Williams has insisted that he did not know about problems with hormone receptor tests until the public learned about it, after the Independent, a weekly St. John's paper, published the first media report on them in October 2005.