Thank you, Mr. Del Mastro.
Your point is of interest. I can indicate to you that the question you raise was dealt with fully at our last two meetings when we dealt with the sub judice convention and why Mr. Mayrand was permitted to not answer certain questions that were before the investigation.
You weren't at those hearings, but if you have a look at them you will be satisfied that I explained to the committee right at the outset that a condition precedent for Mr. Mayrand to appear was that he would not be put in a position to have to answer questions that could potentially prejudice or compromise his investigation. As chair, I agreed to that condition, and that's one of the reasons he did not respond to certain specific questions directly related to the investigation.
As to swearing in, it is a decision of the committee. There was no request for Mr. Mayrand to be sworn in. I didn't see any reason for him, as an officer of Parliament appointed by the Prime Minister, in one of the top responsible positions of the government, to be sworn in. So I did not take that step. It was not an omission; it simply was not viewed to be appropriate.
So that deals with the two points you raised.