If I could supplement what the clerk has said, I'd like to put it in the context that one of the key functions of our missions in the United States is to report on significant political developments. This is our principal ally, trading partner, etc. So on one hand we have to balance that role of ensuring that the many and varied stakeholders who have an interest in developments in the United States are given the best advice and reporting with, clearly, the requirement to protect sensitive information and sources.
The wide distribution template had been developed by our embassy in Washington to facilitate the dissemination of the sorts of things like the South Carolina primary and that information. Obviously, there's a different quality about privileged diplomatic interchanges, and the officer concerned failed to recognize that. I can assure you that this lapse was brought to his attention, both by his head of mission and our assistant deputy minister for North America, and I suspect that as a young officer having those senior colleagues remind him of those requirements, you can be fairly confident that there won't be a repetition in the future.
We've also taken the steps, as recommended by the report, to ensure that the guidance that was given to missions in the United States on this question has been extended to all our missions around the world, a reminder about the importance of protecting sensitive information in their reporting duties.
Thank you.