Thank you, and I appreciate all of the witnesses coming.
Of course, we're trying to better understand the government's view of the relationship between Canada and the United States. We understand that it's complex. I think the vast majority of Canadians understand that it's complex. I think you'd forgive Canadians for wondering whether we're moving into the incoherent point in time. Canadians do want clarity with regard to the government's current position.
Mr. Thoppil, you made national news last summer when it was revealed that you had reached out to two former ambassadors to ask them to run future communications through the department so that they would not speak freely but would run their communications through the department. What prompted you to make those calls?