Here's the way it's working now and the reason it can work, but the reason I still think it's critically important that an independent commissioner of lobbying be created. Because of the way the Financial Administration Act works, in order for me to have financial delegations to sign contracts and things and like that, a minister needs to sign a delegation instrument, and as well, if I'm going to make a presentation or submission to Treasury Board, a minister needs to do that.
So with respect to the spending of money, and not the way I spend money but my ability to legally sign sections 34, 32, etc., a minister--and it was Minister Baird--signed off. The only question Minister Baird's staff asked--because I have never met Minister Baird, I've never met the man--with respect to my responsibilities as registrar of lobbyists.... Neither he nor his staff have ever asked me anything about what I do, why I do it, any investigation. So that doesn't mean I don't believe you still need the machinery to make the optics completely correct, but I'm being treated honourably by the current administration, as I was by the last administration.