Thank you, Chair.
I understand there are some questions around the timelines and whether or not we need this by the end of June, or if it can maybe be into the fall.
With one of the independent officers of Parliament and another office represented in the meeting here today, I think it's especially relevant that one of the concerns we've heard consistently is that, when the funding for these offices is contingent upon the political will of a current government, certainly there are some challenges with that.
I am not sure if other members have more to add to that, but that may be one of the suggestions we give to the finance committee.
I know that on the other committees I've been on we've been faced with these questions as well, but particularly relevant, I think, is that every commissioner has said that we need to take the politics out of how their offices are financed and make sure that Parliament is the one that makes that decision, since they are independent offices of Parliament.
Certainly from my perspective that would be a valuable message to pass along to the finance committee. It's not necessarily asking for more money—as a fiscal conservative that's certainly a concern—but more of a process to make sure that the politics and the appearance of conflict, especially when you have.... We were talking about a former Liberal cabinet minister who has taken a lucrative job in a corporation. There are questions surrounding the integrity of that and ensuring that it's not friends of that cabinet minister—whether it's the current government or any previous government—but Parliament, as the chief arbiter of the land, making those decisions, not a particular cabinet minister or a particular cabinet or a particular government.
I think that's a consistent theme we've heard from all of the commissioners who have come before this committee, and it would be worth passing on.
Thanks.