Thank you, Mr. Harris.
I won't comment specifically on the current public interest hearing, but I will comment on the issues that centre around the issue of legal expertise, if I may.
The way these commissions, and in particular ours, are structured, and this is public information--if you came into our hearing room, you would see it--is that the commission counsel is really my counsel, for the purposes of this public interest hearing. There are a number of lawyers on that council. There are four or five, the lead being Mr. Ron Lunau. They provide and lead the evidence in a public interest hearing. It could be this one or it could be a different hearing. They lead the evidence.
Backing up the four on the commission council.... Whether I were a lawyer or not, I would be seeking my own general counsel's advice that may be required on issues. The Military Police Complaints Commission is blessed to have a very experienced general counsel, along with other counsel.
Whether or not I were a practising lawyer or a sitting lawyer, as an individual I would be seeking the advice of those individuals. And that I do. I am blessed with that kind of expertise around me, both in the commission room and outside, along with my own personal experience in terms of operating in and around a tribunal setting or a courtroom.
It's not us or even our counsel who appear before the Federal Court. When a Federal Court application is made, whether somebody has a lawyer or not, we hire independent federal counsel to appear before the Federal Court. I wouldn't attend, even if I were a lawyer.