Thank you, Chair.
Thank you, Ms. Curtis.
I'm concerned about lobbyists. First of all, I'm not a big fan of lobbyists. I think lobbyists have bastardized democracy in the United States, and I don't like what I see with lobbyists here.
I don't meet with lobbyists. I have a rule that lobbyists don't get in my office and that's all there is to it. Having said that, I'm thinking in terms of those lobbyists who are there to advocate on behalf of a particular business or profit-making venture; I'm not really thinking of lobbyists who may be on the Hill for the Canadian Cancer Society or a non-profit NGO. I don't really categorize them.
I think the rules to put limitations on lobbyists have that other corporate lobbyist in mind. There have been egregious examples that have really turned Canadians off, such as the David Dingwall affair, where they're negotiating contingency fees to peddle influence.