Thank you, Chair.
Mr. Hanley, thank you for being with us today.
I have no doubt that you and I likely don't see eye to eye on absolutely everything. I also, however, have no doubt that you proudly represent your community, just as I do mine. To do that, it's incredibly important that you are able to engage with that community, and that they feel they can engage with you, should they wish to do so.
The stringent registration regulations, as proposed by the commissioner, would do the opposite of that, I fear. They would disable constituents—Canadians—from feeling they can engage with parliamentarians with confidence, and with community organizations. I trust we have the following in common: We want to hear from those we represent; we want them to come to us when they have thoughts, concerns or questions; and we don't want them to feel their system is working against them.
Could you speak to us about grassroots lobbying, its importance to the work you do and what stringent regulations pertaining to registration might mean for you, for community organizations like CIJA and NCCM and for the numerous others that represent Canadian communities?