Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Thank you, Commissioner, for being with us this morning. We appreciate it.
I will start by saying that your report, which came out yesterday, was quite telling. Some people were concerned and were wondering what happens to defeated Conservative members of Parliament or candidates that are not appointed to the Senate or to UNESCO. Now we find out that they can become non-registered—in other words, illegal—lobbyists on Parliament Hill. Two were caught yesterday and there are others. We're looking forward to the investigations into Mr. Bruce Carson who was a lobbyist and the Prime Minister's advisor. We're waiting to hear more about that.
Allow me to mention Mr. Rahim Jaffer, who was a member of Parliament, and Mr. Patrick Glémaud, who was a Conservative candidate in 2008 for Ottawa-Centre, I believe. We know that these individuals were familiar with the law. Mr. Jaffer could not have been unaware of it. We know this for certain. Yet they still attempted to influence senior civil servants in order to obtain contracts worth $178 million, knowing full well that, if they were caught, there would really be no consequences. You have stated as much and you have made recommendations that are a move in the right direction: the act has no teeth and does not provide for particularly serious penalties. So, in that case, why not try? If the field is wide open, then why not attempt to influence decision-makers and obtain contracts, even though one doesn't have the right to do so?
I have children. When they are told not to do something, and they do it anyway and there are no consequences, there is generally no incentive to listen and obey the rules. In fact, grade schools refer to “consequences”. That is the term they use when they are punished.
How can we put more teeth into the act? You stated that you would like to see monetary penalties. You referred earlier to penalties of up to $25,000. Would that be enough? Would that be enough depending on the seriousness of the case? Would it be an idea to ban someone from being a lobbyist? Would it be an idea to order community service? What kinds of tools could be used to prevent these kinds of illegal activities?