Thank you.
Mr. Hermanson, the least one could say is that you are luckier than Adrian Measner and Linda Keen. Do you think these people would have lost their job if they had done what you did?
You were barely appointed when you staked a position by writing this open letter on Bill C-39 published in The Western Producer. All the colleagues around the table here have mentioned this op-ed piece of February 7. You were appointed on January 21.
Personally, I religiously read The Western Producer just as I read La Terre de chez nous, because I want to also know what is happening out West. When I read this piece, my feeling was that a senior official who had just been appointed, you were carrying the minister's and the government's message and that this was pure partisanship since Parliament has not even finished considering this bill. You must have known that it is controversial. A memo was even sent to employees to tell them that they had no right to speak about it if their comments were critical of the government. You will not admit that this is a gag order, but I call this censorship. People only have a right to speak if they will not criticize. You knew then that the bill was attracting criticism and that it was in the government pipeline, but you nevertheless went ahead with this open letter saying that you support Bill C-39 as is. In my view, this was a partisan comment.
You did what Mr. Measner and Ms. Keen refused to do. They lost their job and you kept yours.