I appreciate that question, because a number of people not in this room have told me that they're very curious as to how this committee appearance goes. They think it is very valuable that people from outside of Ottawa, people who aren't insiders, get a chance to come and play a role in government, so long as they're doing so in compliance with the act and all of their ethical standards.
For me, really all my life, I would say, public policy has been a passion of mine. For three decades I've had some involvement in the political process. It manifested itself through the party system but also in things I've done in my community on a voluntary basis. I came here as a young man to be a staffer on the Hill, so it's been a real passion of mine.
To be asked to come in a senior role by a Prime Minister whose values align with mine in every single way just felt like a completely unique, once-in-a-lifetime privilege, impossible to do anything with other than say yes. So I come here very eager to get going, extremely committed to making this work and getting it right.