No, not at all. First of all, I have never said that past partisan activity is a bad thing. People have different journeys in their lives, and it takes them down different roads. The expectation from people who work in these offices is that they be non-partisan. They even have to swear an oath to that effect. This sheds light on the fact that the oath they take is pretty much codifying what they're saying. Past partisan position is clearly enumerated and defined within the bill, and it includes being an electoral candidate, an electoral district association officer, a member of a ministerial staff, a member of a parliamentary staff, or a member of a political staff.
Let's face it, Mr. Andrews. You wouldn't accept an employee of mine, say my chief of staff, and try to hire that person away to work in your office, because you would have some suspicions about their past political affiliations. This sheds light. It opens the curtain. It lets the light in and allows the members of Parliament and people to see that people have had past partisan activity, period. It's as simple as that.