Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Welcome, Minister.
I have a couple of specific questions, but first, Mr. Minister, while I have both you and the deputy here, I have a question on process. Mr. Knubley will know of what I speak because I wrote a letter to the Clerk of the Privy Council complaining about the policy that seems to exist.
A member of Parliament, regardless of the party, I believe should be able to talk to a departmental official without having somebody from the minister's staff on the phone. I have never made it a policy of calling a deputy minister or an ADM unless there's a serious issue that relates to a constituent or a farmer somewhere in Canada. However, when I call the deputy minister or somebody in your department on risk management programs—Danny Foster, for instance—I'm told we're not allowed to talk directly to that individual.
In fact with Mr. Foster at one point in time I did have a conversation with him with two officials on the phone—