Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
I assume that at the end of the day this committee is going to be trying to find some reasonable consensus around some of these issues. I regret that I was not here at the very beginning, but I wonder if I might ask each of the witnesses to address the three recommendations that were brought forward by the New Democratic Party representative that have financial implications, the first being the recommendation that membership fees be tax receiptable in the same way that contributions are, so that you don't penalize those who are least able to afford to make larger contributions.
Secondly, with respect to the transferring of debts, I'm wondering whether there is agreement in the same way that a candidate can transfer their surplus to their electoral district association, that they should have the opportunity to do so with respect to debts, which seems to eliminate the need for a campaign account being kept open for considerable periods of time.
Thirdly, with respect to leadership contestant spending limits, I know this is an issue that doesn't arise directly out of the most recent election, but it does arise I think as a serious concern a lot of people have about whether in fact or in perception, because of the lack of any real limits on leadership contestant spending, there can be the sense that a candidate has actually bought their way into the leadership, and the absence of accountability around that.
Could the witnesses indicate whether they agree or have a different point of view on those three recommendations?