Information & Ethics committee  I think that we took about 40 pages to provide details of the dates, the people involved, what they did, and so on. In the first 40 pages of the report, you'll find all the facts to support my findings.

Information & Ethics committee  I can respond, because I understood the question. I have some experience with the concept of cabinet confidences. First, we talked about it in law school some time ago when I was a student. Second, I worked at the Privy Council Office where, for a year, I was in charge of the unit that dealt with issues relating to cabinet confidences.

Information & Ethics committee  In any investigation, section 49 is always present in our minds, because facts evolve. These investigations take several months. In relation to the “Trudeau II Report”, Michael Aquilino, who is with me, did a preliminary analysis of whether there were reasonable grounds to believe an offence to another act of Parliament was involved, and came to the conclusion that there wasn't such a situation.

Information & Ethics committee  I've said many times during my tenure that it is clear that Parliament intended that the commissioner would be tasked with the mandate, which Konrad just described, in the conflict of interest sphere, and that the commissioner would be a person the government had tried to ensure would have some judgment when appointed.

Information & Ethics committee  I'm sorry, Mr. Chair. I have no recollection whatsoever. I don't know. I have no idea where this comes from.

Information & Ethics committee  Yes.

Information & Ethics committee  Yes, it is. Throughout my tenure, I was present every time anybody was interviewed. This was Madame Dawson's practice as well. I simply followed the same practice.

Information & Ethics committee  We had one investigator and one lawyer—Michael, who is here today. He played an extended role on this one, because Madame Richard was excluded from the file right on day one. I gave clear instructions that Martine Richard was not to be involved in this investigation. It was Marie-Josée Smith, Michael Aquilino and me, period.

Information & Ethics committee  Yes.

Information & Ethics committee  That's not possible, Mr. Chair, because we don't have a standard interview format.

Information & Ethics committee  The way it works is this: Each time we have a witness, Marie-Josée prepares a draft. Michael reviews it and I review it. We follow the script. The commissioner is there to add or emphasize certain things, to ask questions that come up because of earlier answers, and so on and so forth.

Information & Ethics committee  —preordained form whatsoever.

Information & Ethics committee  No. As I said in the report, Mr. Chairman, we tried to obtain further documents that were covered by the the cabinet confidence convention and we failed in doing so. I thought we had nevertheless enough material to come to a finding. That's why I proceeded, absent the documents that were missing.

Information & Ethics committee  It was a contravention of section 9 of the Conflict of Interest Act, as we refer to it, which was the scope of the investigation. I decided on my own volition, in light of what was in the media and what was being said elsewhere, to launch an investigation on February 8, 2019. The scope was section 9—

Information & Ethics committee  —and I found a contravention of section 9.