Foreign Affairs committee  Mr. Rae, I disagree. There is no—

Foreign Affairs committee  Mr. Rae, this is why I did my due diligence. I don't have to discuss that with other—

Foreign Affairs committee  Mr. Rae, if you read—

Foreign Affairs committee  —you can see—

Foreign Affairs committee  Let me speak. You can see that I clearly mention that Mr. Akhavan report, and you have the e-mails that he sent to Mr. Beauregard. I am saying in this report that Mr. Akhavan sent to Mr. Beauregard an e-mail to declare that he was on the board of both organizations. What I have said is that he didn't send that to the board of directors; he sent it to Mr.

Foreign Affairs committee  Yes?

Foreign Affairs committee  This contract was provided by my predecessor before I arrived. The total amount is $170,000, more or less. The reason for the contract was to gather facts related to the activities of the three directors who were dismissed. It is also those facts that serve as a proof in court related to the action of those three directors against Rights and Democracy.

Foreign Affairs committee  Thank you very much. Mr. Chair and members of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development, let me start my presentation by thanking you for giving me the opportunity to testify before you today. I have with me my three directors, and I intend to paint a realistic picture of the situation at Rights and Democracy, an agency I am honoured to be president of.

Foreign Affairs committee  Mr. Dewar, I'm not responsible for appointments to the board, but I can tell you something: personally, I'm convinced that I can work with this board.

Foreign Affairs committee  You know, there is a human dimension to this problem.

Foreign Affairs committee  Mr. Dewar, I'm convinced that if you give it time, we will be able to close the gap and to bring closer the board and the staff toward the future and toward specifically the realization of our strategic plan. They both agree on the substance. On the substance, we are all on the same line.

Foreign Affairs committee  No, no, no, let me answer.

Foreign Affairs committee  Look, I've worked for the democratic party organization. I've worked with people on the left. Audrey McLaughlin was the director of my political parties program. I worked with people on the right. I worked with Islamist parties. I was accepted everywhere. I worked with right-wing parties and left-wing parties around the world.

Foreign Affairs committee  I'm not here, as a representative of Rights and Democracy, to discuss or debate my personal ideas, regardless of what they are. I have an obligation to—

Foreign Affairs committee  I can answer you immediately on the matter of the calls—