Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I too am pleased to thank Mr. Mayrand for providing us with very full answers that have made it possible to clear up considerable ambiguity.
I would like to go back to a question that was asked on the other side of the table. I am taking the liberty of making a suggestion. I myself have previously been a senior public servant, and I know the difference between being a legislator and a person who administers an act. Here we are raising the five factors, one of which is established by the act, to the same level. Commercial value is stated in the act. The other four factors enabled the Chief Electoral Officer to determine that, in his view, these were not candidate expenses under the terms of section 451 and that, consequently, he would not reimburse them. However, it makes it possible to suggest that, with this kind of mix, one could get the impression—that was the drift of the questions, some of which were ours, at the outset—that we are confusing "legislative requirement" with "administrative requirement". That, in my view, is a mistake.
I want to thank you very much for what you have done on behalf of us all. What you had to do today was demanding, but it was in the interest of our democratic institutions. As my colleague from Winnipeg-Centre has just mentioned, a scheme was put in place by the Conservatives in an attempt to use money to buy the last election, despite the clear prohibitions of the act. Thank you for being here to defend us in this matter. Thank you.