Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I would like to reiterate some facts which led this committee to discuss ethical considerations for public office holders, which are defined under the Conflict of Interest Act and may be audited by this committee.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police searched Conservative Party offices. In order to obtain a search warrant, Elections Canada had to state in no uncertain terms before the courts that misleading statements had been made by various organizations and individuals within the Conservative Party. I do not want to name them all; I do not know if there are 66 of them or 100.
As I mentioned when my colleague Mr. Nadeau was speaking, some of these individuals are members and are not subject to an audit by this committee. However, other people appearing on the list are public office holders and the subject of the RCMP's allegations, the RCMP having executed a warrant on behalf of Elections Canada.
This is a very serious matter. If public office holders are found to be guilty, they would be liable to imprisonment. We are not only talking about election overspending, but about the fact that public office holders may end up in jail and lose their right to sit as members.
The Conservative Party...