Thank you, Chair, and thank you to our witnesses for their presentations.
One of the things that I think is surprising for many of us is not only what my colleague mentioned in terms of the process of this legislation going through the way it is.... Obviously, that is not for you to comment on. It's not your doing. But when you look at the U.K., and this was mentioned by Mr. Dechert, we don't have a problem with the idea. The importance, though, is in how you consult, who you consult, and what the terms are.
I'm trying to find out and figure out what happened here, because we have a bill that comes before us and it's a budget bill. With all due respect, when a budget bill comes forward, you obviously can't leak it unless there's a political motive. But this is about changing the department. When the U.K. and when our friends south of the border did it, there were wide consultations. Ms. Clinton took on this issue and consulted widely.
I'm trying to figure out what happened and why we're at the point where we have a transition team in place. That's great. That's important from a public service point of view. We have legislation with a ribbon on it, through an omnibus, but where was the consultation before all this happened?