Procedure and House Affairs committee  No. As I say, if we can get compliance without worrying about the infractions, we're interested in doing that. That is fostered when witnesses do talk to us and tell us what's gone wrong and what's happened. That's the first step towards a cooperative and perhaps a compliance agr

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Yes.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  No.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Not decisions about prosecutions. We do an investigation. Compliance agreement fits best with a minor matter as opposed to, say, voter fraud or other things. Can I give you an example? Overspending on a campaign by a certain number of thousands of dollars. We're not taking that t

Procedure and House Affairs committee  I have to tell you that as an outsider, it was an experience and an education on the electoral process for me to be there.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Well, you need a regulator during that 35-day period of time, engaged, and the benefit from investigators, I would submit, sir, is that they're good at it. They're skilled at it. They're 30-year veterans of police forces and dealing with people and getting municipal police forces

Procedure and House Affairs committee  It had to do with audit work on campaign returns—

Procedure and House Affairs committee  I'm sure the Chief Electoral Officer would agree with you on that point, but it wasn't vital in that particular case.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  If there's someone else who can do it, I'd be pleased to hear it.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  —large numbers jumping off the page.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  That's correct.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  There was so much other information available.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  They could, but in fact I don't believe they were. We had legal officers working with us pretty much all the time, individual, but the same legal unit looked after all the legal matters. Elections Canada was concerned that whatever legal position Elections Canada took was reflect

Procedure and House Affairs committee  I'm sorry; changed to what, again...?

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Do you mean if there were an offence?