Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Good afternoon, Mr. Hanley. Thank you very much for joining us today.
You spoke about the rise in crime and acts against the Jewish community, and so I would like to start by saying that I share your concerns regarding this growing problem. We are happy to see the results of the efforts taken by the Bloc Québécois to prohibit the use of religion as a tool to commit acts or promote hatred, which we find unacceptable. We know that these acts have targeted Jewish communities, among others. I am underscoring that because I think it's important, even though it's not directly connected to the issue at hand.
Furthermore, I'm sure that as the representative of the Jewish community, you champion the interests of your members and the people you represent, in compliance with the law, obviously. Nevertheless, some organizations do not comply with the law when they fail to disclose their activities to the Commissioner of Lobbying and also fail to register. These organizations could work against your interests even though you follow the rules.
Recently, I worked on a matter involving low-cost truck drivers, among others. One organization had lobbied the government and Liberal members without reporting these activities. I filed a complaint with the Commissioner of Lobbying, and she told me that she could not tell us whether she was conducting an investigation. I find it mind-boggling to know that there has been no accountability and that there is no information about what happens to complaints once they are filed.
Would you agree that it would be important for the Commissioner of Lobbying to tell us about ongoing investigations and the findings to instill confidence in her work?
I think that if we don't know what she is working on, we can't know whether she is doing her job thoroughly and whether the laws that are meant to protect people when it comes to lobbying are actually enforced.