I will be chairing today, because neither the chair nor the official opposition vice-chair is available, so here I am. Thank you. It's an honour.
We're here today to begin the first meeting of a study the committee has agreed to undertake on the alleged disclosure of the names of access to information applicants. The committee felt that a good place to start would be to get the same base level of information on access to information as pertains to the Information Commissioner's office and to the Privacy Commissioner's office.
Therefore, we have witnesses here: the deputy information commissioner, Alan Leadbeater; his director general, investigations and reviews, Dan Dupuis; and Nadine Gendron, legal counsel for the Information Commissioner. Welcome.
Also, from the Office of the Privacy Commissioner, we have Mr. Wayne Watson, director general, investigation and inquiries branch; and Jan Peszat, manager, investigation and inquiries branch.
I think we should preface this with just one cautionary note. The chair and I have had a conversation about the Privacy Commissioner, represented here by her director general, not being able to answer specific questions about the investigation that is under way. I think we'll be interested in posing questions about the scope and magnitude of what you're allowed to do, perhaps, or if in fact an investigation is under way, but I think I would have to rule out of order any questions that get into the specifics of an investigation that may or may not be under way, so that you're not put in the awkward position of being forced to answer something that might compromise an investigation.
Having said that, I think we'll go in the order that is on the agenda and invite Mr. Leadbeater to give his opening remarks.