Thank you very much, Madam Chair.
I appreciate both of our witnesses appearing before us this afternoon.
I appreciate that Mr. MacDonald mentioned “trust” and that Mr. Czerny alluded to that as well. It's absolutely fundamental in the functioning of a society. Citizens need to have trust in their institutions and in the public office holders, because that affects every aspect of the information and the decisions they make. It's not just about a conflict of interest; it's the reputation of an institution that is incredibly important.
Mr. Czerny, with your experience in the public service, I'd be very curious to hear your input. The excuse the Prime Minister has given is that the public service made this non-partisan recommendation, and they simply had no choice but to follow it. In my experience, that's certainly not how briefing notes are written. That's not how proposals are brought forward. I'd be very curious about whether you have any comments on the Prime Minister's defence that this was something that was totally hands off, that it was handed to him and that was that.