As I said very specifically, Mr. Chair, I did that with an abundance of caution, being very mindful of the law and the exception in the law. I wanted to make sure that I did not participate in the decisions with respect to this project.
I wanted to refer to the principle of general application. I know my colleague, Mr. Barrett, is a solicitor. I think a barrister would know it.
The principle of general application contained within the Conflict of Interest Act allowed me to participate in parliamentary debates and votes, including those related to the budget and the budget implementation act. I think you even received testimony in front of this committee that this is a principle that exists not only in the federal law but in provincial law. It's widely accepted.
I not only complied with all the rules under the act, but I also went beyond to provide to Canadians the kind of transparency that would let them know I respected the act and the letter of the act within the exception permitted under the act, as well as that I had a filter to make sure that I was not directly involved in decisions.