Thank you for your question, Ms. Fortier.
That's roughly what I was trying to tell our esteemed colleague Mr. Barrett: the most important decision that was made was to suspend all funding. Let's be clear: under the existing contribution agreement, the minister's rights and obligations are described in the contract. The act also provides a framework. You should also know that this is an independent organization headed up by a president and a board of directors.
I was made aware of these allegations on March 5. A few days later, on March 17, I asked that we engage an accounting firm to shed some light on the situation. Many things were said, and I'm surprised to see that certain individuals felt free to discuss them at length. You also have to consider the procedural issue. We have to watch what we say. We're only talking about allegations, and nothing has been proven for the moment. Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton refers in its report to inconsistencies and opportunities for improvement. That's the basic evidence that's available today.
On the basis of that evidence, we asked that the organization take corrective measures. Various allegations subsequently appeared in the press at different times. Then I said that, if people were in possession of other evidence, we would provide them a forum in the form of an independent law firm charged with gathering their testimony and analyzing the facts, upon which we would be in a position to take appropriate measures.
I am here before you. What I want is to get to the bottom of all this, and I'm prepared to take every necessary measure to do so. Should additional measures be required, we're prepared to take them in the public interest.