Thank you.
Madam Chair, I'll take the first part of that question.
I believe my colleague is referring to what is known as the 20% rule, and it does allow some people to not report lobbying activity if it's below the 20% threshold. I understand the commissioner has asked for that to be removed. Also, I understand that other jurisdictions do have similar rules. They may not be actual percentages; they may actually be hours that are spent. I believe one province specifies more than 100 hours. That is its threshold.
There are two issues here. First of all, if a threshold is maintained, is that threshold increased or decreased? Second, do you eliminate the threshold entirely so that it captures many more people who would not otherwise be obligated to register?
Again, I encourage the committee to seriously consider this, because it is an issue that I understand has come up time and again. There is some uncertainty as to what time is involved. I also caution the committee that it would cast the net quite a bit wider, and it would cause, for example, administrative contact to also be required to be reported. So there would definitely be an increased reporting burden on those people affected. At the same time, we want to ensure transparency. Again, it goes back to Mr. Scott-Douglas's recommendation earlier that you always consider the balance between transparency and the reporting burden.